Upgrade of main road into Cobh 'will cost hundreds of millions' and start in next decade, council told

Plans to upgrade the Fota Road into Cobh have been on the table for years but haven’t received the government funding required. File picture: Larry Cummins

The upgrade of the main road into Cobh “will cost hundreds of millions” with a start date of between seven and 10 years even in the "best case scenario", it has been claimed by the local authority in Cork.

That predicted timeline for the long-mooted upgrade of the East Cork road is even if it comes funded by government, with a senior Cork County Council leader saying it is one of a number of road improvements needed in the region so it can keep pace with population growth and provide a platform for economic growth.

Padraig Barrett, head of the council’s roads and transportation directorate, spent several hours outlining to councillors issues with substandard roads and how “Ireland is way behind national competitors in terms of infrastructure” investment.

“There has been historical underinvestment in infrastructure since the establishment of the State. It has not kept pace with the needs of population growth,” he said.

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Plans to upgrade the Fota Road into Cobh have been on the table for years but haven’t received the government funding required. Mr Barrett said this is a prime example of infrastructure deficit. He told councillors that the council is again in the “early stages” of preparing a feasibility study on the project.

“We are a minimum of three to four years away from being able to go for planning. It will be seven to 10 years before it will go to construction, and that’s only if we get approval,” Mr Barrett said.

The lack of a proper road into Cobh has stifled plans for more than 1,300 council houses in the area and was among the reasons that An Bord Pleanála refused an application by a company to move into the former IFI plant at Marino Point.

Nevertheless, Mr Barrett and his officials said they remain hopeful that the new government will start putting more money into Cork roads. This includes a vital upgrade of the N25 from Carrigtwohill to Midleton, money for which has twice been shelved.

However, Mr Barrett said that new traffic figures will have to be provided with the request for funding as they have increased on that route since the last counts undertaken in 2021. It’s also hoped funding will be obtained to construct the long-overdue northern relief road for Midleton.

Funding for the upgrade of the N25 from Carrigtwohill to Midleton has twice been shelved. File picture: Dan Linehan

Carrigtwohill-based Fine Gael councillor Anthony Barry said his town is choked with traffic and can’t continue to increase its population without upgrades to the N25. He also described Midleton “as a no-go area with congestion".

“The IDA site in Ballyadam (which is on side of the N25) is a flagship site. They’re going to have difficulty promoting it without the upgrade and junction planned to serve it,” Fine Gael councillor Michael Hegarty added.

Upgrading the N25 between Midleton and Youghal, including bypasses for Castlemarytr and Killeagh, is not likely for several years as other priorities in the region such as the upgrade of the N20 between Cork and Limerick to a potential motorway will take precedent.

Councillors representing the East Cork area complained that traffic delays coming into the Jack Lynch Tunnel are even more acute now at peak times than they were before the €230m Dunkettle Interchange upgrade.

Mr Barrett said it would be far worse if the upgrade wasn’t done as traffic volumes there are up on pre-covid levels. However, he said the council will work with Transport Infrastructure Ireland “to optimise travel times there".