Cork council invites public to have their say on new dual carriageway between Midleton and Youghal

Plans for proposed road aim to ease chronic traffic congestion

Major congestion is witnessed daily at peak times in the villages of Castlemartyr and Killeagh and on the approaches to Midleton. File picture: Chani Anderson

Plans are being put in place to create a new dual carriageway between Midleton and Youghal and a proposed corridor area for it is has just opened to public consultation.

The N25 Midleton to Youghal Transport Project (N25MY) is being progressed by the Cork National Roads Office on behalf of the local authority and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).

The ‘study area’ extends from the heavily congested Lakeview roundabout in Midleton to Ballyvergan, on the western approaches to the Youghal bypass.

Both TII and the county council acknowledge this section of the N25 frequently experiences congestion, unreliable journey times and several road safety issues.

Major congestion is witnessed daily at peak times in the villages of Castlemartyr and Killeagh and on the approaches to Midleton.

On some mornings after negotiating bottlenecks in Castlemartyr, commuters also face tailbacks from Lackadarra Lake, on the eastern outskirts of that village into Midleton.

To address these challenges, the N25MY is being progressed as "a long-term strategic transport project" that is currently at a very general route option selection stage.

The project managers are seeking public feedback on their proposed study area for a route corridor, which is quite wide in some cases, and shown on the project website at [e-mail].

This provides a detailed brochure on the project, maps and a questions and queries section the public can submit to the project engineers.

“This is being designed to identify physical, artificial, engineering, and natural limitations within a specific region where options are anticipated to be created and assessed," a county council spokesperson said. 

"The creation of the study area is an ongoing process, and its boundaries are shaped by the results of the constraints, risks, and opportunities analysis, as well as the design development. The study area can change as needed throughout all phases of the project lifecycle."

The website is open for public input until 4pm on Wednesday, July 29.

Submissions on the project can also be made by post to the Cork National Roads Office, Cork County Council, Richmond, Glanmire, T45 WA44.