Carrigtwohill-Midleton N25 road upgrade 'will take at least a decade'

Cork County Council head of roads says the paused East Cork road scheme will take almost 10 years to complete in a 'best-case scenario' 

The N25 between Carrigtwohill and Midleton sees a heavy build-up of commuter traffic at rush hour. Picture: Chani Anderson

It will take almost 10 years “in a best-case scenario” to deliver a stalled road project to ease congestion between two of East Cork’s biggest towns.

The N25 Carrigtwohill to Midleton upgrade scheme was “paused” in 2021, delaying plans for a 5km dual carriageway realignment that would have separated out local traffic.

It has now emerged the project is another decade away, with only a fraction of the required funding allocated to Cork County Council.

The council’s head of roads, Padraig Barrett, said: “Four years ago, the estimated cost of building the new road was around €100m.

“At present, we are six to seven years off construction, and it will then take a further two years to build.

“That’s assuming that all goes according to plan, and we get the required government funding, and we have a positive outcome for the project from An Coimisiún Pleanála,” he said.

The council received €500,000 from the Government this year to reactivate planning for the road.

Council officials are engaging with the consultants who drew up the original plans to get to the point of proposed route selection, and to see if the original plans are valid under environmental legislation.

Mr Barrett said they “need to resolve” the current gridlock in the area.

Congestion at Midleton roundabout

One of the major pinch points at present is the Lakeview Roundabout at Midleton, where congestion is extreme, especially during peak hours.

Mr Barrett said the likely scenario is that a flyover will have to be built there, but this will mean a pedestrian footbridge will have to be torn down and replaced with an underpass.

By the time the road is opened, the population of Midleton will have reached 28,000 — making it the largest town in Co Cork.

Projections for Carrigtwohill suggest its population will exceed 15,000.

The Industrial Development Authority (IDA) has earmarked Carrigtwohill for further expansion, marking it out as a prime location for foreign direct investment.

The town is also primed for major housing developments, all of which will add considerably more traffic on the N25.

Irish Rail has plans to expand the railway offering by increasing services to Midleton and Carrigtwohill, but local councillors have called for interim solutions in the meantime.