Cork South Ring road

AugustusMinimus

I know that the Cork Link road was paid down where there was train tracks previously. Cork City was quite lucky that there was a read made corridor all the way from the city centre to where the Kinsale Road Roundabout was to be built.

A quick question though. What sort of stuff did they have to knock to build the present Cork South Ring road.

I'm guessing between Douglas and Kinsale Road roundabout there wasn't much. Was most likely land which was part of the dump ?

I'm geussing that Douglas before the SRR looked quite different ? Was the original car park for Douglas Shopping Centre extended to where the flyover is today ?

Did St Finbarrs GAA lose a GAA pitch when the section between the Bandon and Sarsfields roundabout was built ?

One other weird question I have is how did the SRR end, before the section from Douglas to the tunnel was completed. The SRR end at the previous roundabout in front of the old Shell station in the centre of Douglas meeting with the Douglas road ?

Any pics would be great btw.

AugustusMinimus

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

One other weird question I have is how did the SRR end, before the section from Douglas to the tunnel was completed. The SRR end at the previous roundabout in front of the old Shell station in the centre of Douglas meeting with the Douglas road ?

Any pics would be great btw.

As far as I remember it used to end at Carrs hill. Douglas to the tunnel was done in 96/97 ish, our Physics teacher brought us out to see the sections before they were submerged and buried. Years and years before that the link used to still go beyond Douglas to the base of Carrs hill and the Rochestown exit.

Cork City forum may be worth posting in

Good thing you posted here though as I'm banned from there at the mo :pac:


Douglas wasn't that different except for the flyovers and off ramps, there used to be a big roundabout by the service station I think.

johnos1984

RoverJames wrote: »

Good thing you posted here though as I'm banned from there at the mo :pac:

You should be banned here too

johnos1984

johnos1984 wrote: »

You should be banned here too

Don't think I've bothered anyone for a while in here :P

AugustusMinimus

RoverJames wrote: »

As far as I remember it used to end at Carrs hill. Douglas to the tunnel was done in 96/97 ish, our Physics teacher brought us out to see the sections before they were submerged and buried. Years and years before that the link used to still go beyond Douglas to the base of Carrs hill and the Rochestown exit.

Cork City forum may be worth posting in

Good thing you posted here though as I'm banned from there at the mo :pac:


Douglas wasn't that different except for the flyovers and off ramps, there used to be a big roundabout by the service station I think.

They got rid of the roundabout with the recent changes to Douglas Village Shopping centre.

I'm guessing it did look quite different before that section of South Ring Road was done though.


Tunnel opened in 99 and I think the present Rochestown junction opened in 98 ? I wasn't too long before the tunnel opened anyways.

Thing about the SRR is that it was built through, already built up areas. For the most part, the areas around the M50 were urbanised after the M50 was built.

johnos1984

RoverJames wrote: »

Don't think I've bothered anyone for a while in here :P

Its been about 6 months since you've been forced to take a holiday in fairness

You're going soft with OLD AGE

AugustusMinimus

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

Tunnel opened in 99 and I think the present Rochestown junction opened in 98 ? I wasn't too long before the tunnel opened anyways.

Rochestown junction was there years before 98, my parents had a Fiat Ritmo they scrapped in 1996 and I remember going onto the link at Rochestown in that.

AugustusMinimus

One other thing. How did the SRR link into Carrs Hill ? Did it join into the roundabout outside of Douglas Court Shopping Centre ?

johnayo

The Bloomfield interchange was'nt there. The south ring road used to go down the slip rd for Rochestown.

AugustusMinimus

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

One other thing. How did the SRR link into Carrs Hill ? Did it join into the roundabout outside of Douglas Court Shopping Centre ?

Much the same way it does now I think, except you didn't have to veer off the actual link to hit the bottom of it like you do since the tunnel was built.

AugustusMinimus

RoverJames wrote: »

Much the same way it does now I think, except you didn't have to veer off the actual link to hit the bottom of it like you do since the tunnel was built.

What there a pre existing road in douglas so between the Douglas Road and the South Douglas road where the present flyover is ?

The flyover was there years before the tunnel was built. It was there in the Ritmo days For as long as you can get on the link from Rochestown the Douglas flyover has been there. Wouldn't be much point in the thing otherwise really.

CarMuppet

I can remember there used to be an old shopping center in Douglas with an 'open roof' layout and the shops were either side of a walkway.... I can remember workers piling earth high in the carpark section to start making the flyover in Douglas itself. I'm guessing the year to be around 87 to 90?

Before the tunnel the SRR used to curl up towards the Rochestown exit and Carrs hill... The Bloomfield interchange was basically just a dual carriageway.

On a side note I remember street racing on the tunnel section of road (heading north) before it was officially opened.. the workers solution was to place large concrete blocks on the road on the bend just before the decline into the tunnel. Nice.

I have picts of the tunnel and road before it was opeend... I'll need to dig them out and scan them in...

zilog_jones

http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,570629,569470,4,5

Mav11

Far as I can remember the first part of the SRR opened in '92. Before that it was only bog and dump between the back Douglas road and Vernon mt. But hey I'm not that old!!

kuro2k

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

I'm guessing between Douglas and Kinsale Road roundabout there wasn't much. Was most likely land which was part of the dump ?

The section between Douglas and the Kinsale Road roundabout was built on an old railway line, they also knocked an old railway bridge "Snotty Bridge" when the roundabout was built. It was roughly located at the current entrance to the roundabout on the Kinsale Road side. All thats left now is a miniature version, built a few years later.

It used to be one of the worst black spots in the city, trucks used to jack knife on a regular basis, great excitement for an 8 year old at the time!

AugustusMinimus

zilog_jones wrote: »

http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,570629,569470,4,5

Great find. Care to guess when this was taken ? By the look of it, they had just started work on the flyover at the Dunkettle Interchange.

AugustusMinimus

kuro2k wrote: »

The section between Douglas and the Kinsale Road roundabout was built on an old railway line, they also knocked an old railway bridge "Snotty Bridge" when the roundabout was built. It was roughly located at the current entrance to the roundabout on the Kinsale Road side. All thats left now is a miniature version, built a few years later.

It used to be one of the worst black spots in the city, trucks used to jack knife on a regular basis, great excitement for an 8 year old at the time!

What road was this bridge on by the way ?

AugustusMinimus

CarMuppet wrote: »

I can remember there used to be an old shopping center in Douglas with an 'open roof' layout and the shops were either side of a walkway.... I can remember workers piling earth high in the carpark section to start making the flyover in Douglas itself. I'm guessing the year to be around 87 to 90?

Douglas must have looked quite different before the flyover.

I rooted out an old photo of Merchants Quay a few years ago. Most people could hardly remember what it looked like.

kuro2k

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

What road was this bridge on by the way ?

It was more or less located at the same spot as the the miniature bridge they built a few years later. http://www.panoramio.com/photo/51555151 (not mine)

You had to take a hard left and I'm almost sure you had to drive under it if you were driving from the airport up to "CMP" I also remember a scrap yard next to it, "billys scrap yard" or something like that. I think I have a few old photos of one of the jack knife trucks next to the bridge, I'll post them up if I can find them

zilog_jones

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

Great find. Care to guess when this was taken ? By the look of it, they had just started work on the flyover at the Dunkettle Interchange.

It says 1995, not sure how precise it is. You can choose between 1995, 2000 and 2005 on the options on the right. Some weird results on the 2005 images with the Kinsale Rd. roudabout - there could be months or even years between each section of those images.

charlemont

kuro2k wrote: »

The section between Douglas and the Kinsale Road roundabout was built on an old railway line, they also knocked an old railway bridge "Snotty Bridge" when the roundabout was built. It was roughly located at the current entrance to the roundabout on the Kinsale Road side. All thats left now is a miniature version, built a few years later.

It used to be one of the worst black spots in the city, trucks used to jack knife on a regular basis, great excitement for an 8 year old at the time!

No, there was never a railway from Douglas to the Kinsale Road Roundabout, The West Cork line travelled out along where the South Link Road is today and along by Pouladuff and south of Togher towards the viaduct, The Macroom line branched off after the dump and went westwards along where the present South Ring road goes.

corktina

pretty well spot on there. You can still see traces of the West Cork line around the Ford dealer but the macroom line is pretty well obliterated until you get near Ballincollig where you can see traces of it.

MunsterCycling

One thing I have to correct for you Rover, the Link is the road from the Kinsale Road roundabout to the back of the City hall, the Ring is the SRR.

AugustusMinimus

MunsterCycling wrote: »

One thing I have to correct for you Rover, the Link is the road from the Kinsale Road roundabout to the back of the City hall, the Ring is the SRR.

People mixing up the two drives me mental.

MunsterCycling

MunsterCycling wrote: »

One thing I have to correct for you Rover, the Link is the road from the Kinsale Road roundabout to the back of the City hall, the Ring is the SRR.

:pac:

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

People mixing up the two drives me mental.

This thread almost drove me mental :cool:

kuro2k

charlemont wrote: »

No, there was never a railway from Douglas to the Kinsale Road Roundabout, The West Cork line travelled out along where the South Link Road is today and along by Pouladuff and south of Togher towards the viaduct, The Macroom line branched off after the dump and went westwards along where the present South Ring road goes.

I was almost sure I remember walking along an old railway line as far as vernamount (at least) when I was younger, do you have any idea if anything linked Douglas to the kinsale rd/roundabout area before the road was built?

corktina

the re was the Cork Blackrock and Passge which passed close to DOuglas but was at right angles to the SRR. No line followed the course of the SRR from Douglas to the Kinsale Rd Roundabout.

ofcork

The bridge is still on forge hill where the west cork railway passed under.

AugustusMinimus

ofcork wrote: »

The bridge is still on forge hill where the west cork railway passed under.

Good call.

Having a look now on google maps and you can clearly see the path the railway took from the the roughly the Kinsale roundabout up to the top of Doughcloyne.

I can't seem to link it from there to the Viaduct though.

Owen

The roads forum would probably give the best answers to this thread methinks!

G Luxel

I did see a book in Easons yesterday about railways in Ireland in colour and there are some of Cork city in it although there is nothing featuring the south ring road. If you drive out towards Ballincollig, there is another miniature bridge built a few years ago near the roundabout for the new Marymount Hospice. Another bridge features before EMC. I cant really find any trace of the railway in Ballincollig as the town's southside are recent residential.

What you will find along the South ring road from Brownlows to the dump are at least 2 cable poles, one next to the hospital and the other before the turnoff for Ballintemple. Look closely and you will find two very tall poles with the remains of cables/enamel holders. You will also find a very narrow laneway adjacent to the douglas road bridge called Railway View. Go to the South Douglas rd bridge and at the roundabout youll find the remains of the trackbed that go to the Bus Garage...the terminal office was the actual station.........

G Luxel

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

Good call.

Having a look now on google maps and you can clearly see the path the railway took from the the roughly the Kinsale roundabout up to the top of Doughcloyne.

I can't seem to link it from there to the Viaduct though.

Link from the roundabout up to doughcloyne bridge..then u arrive at another bridge which is above the new cemetery..then it continues on to the viaduct...there is/was some fencing on either side of the track but a new house was built there a few years ago....after the viaduct it continues to Waterfall....the entire line from baltimore to cork is supposed to be under some protected landmarks legislation but with the south link etc there has been a lot of changes over the years.

ofcork

G Luxel wrote: »

I did see a book in Easons yesterday about railways in Ireland in colour and there are some of Cork city in it although there is nothing featuring the south ring road. If you drive out towards Ballincollig, there is another miniature bridge built a few years ago near the roundabout for the new Marymount Hospice. Another bridge features before EMC. I cant really find any trace of the railway in Ballincollig as the town's southside are recent residential.

What you will find along the South ring road from Brownlows to the dump are at least 2 cable poles, one next to the hospital and the other before the turnoff for Ballintemple. Look closely and you will find two very tall poles with the remains of cables/enamel holders. You will also find a very narrow laneway adjacent to the douglas road bridge called Railway View. Go to the South Douglas rd bridge and at the roundabout youll find the remains of the trackbed that go to the Bus Garage...the terminal office was the actual station.........

That was the terminus for the cork and macroom direct railway.

charlemont

http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,567875,569617,7,9

AugustusMinimus

charlemont wrote: »

http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,567875,569617,7,9

That map shows the rail bridge that used to be where the Kinsale Road Roundabout used to be.

It also shows a very tight turn near the start going up airport hill. Anyone remember it like this ?

Love to see pics if anyone has them.