Cork Airport - Secondary Access Route

AugustusMinimus

Was having a look at the N27 page of Wikipedia and noticed it said that the NRA is looking into providing a secondary access route into the airport. Didn't hear anything about this in the past but it would certainly be welcome considering the state of airport hill leading onto the Kinsale Road Roundabout.

Is this actually the case ?

Anyways. A few options I can think of.

1. Create a new road, being a spur off the N71 somewhere above the viaduct.
2. Vastly improve both the Togher Road and Pouladuff Road, which converge on each other, just to the North West of the Airport.
3. Create a spur from the N28 just as it turns into single carriageway to lead to the airport.


After thinking about these. Option 3 is by far the best in my mind for a number of reasons.

1. Traffic from the N71 already has alternative access via going through Ballinhassig.
2. Options 1 and 2 would involve create a whole new entrance to the airport. Might even require tunnelling under the runway.
3. The junction on the N28 could be created as part of the eventual N28 dualling project
4. Current roads such as Elm Hill could be used as part of this new access road.
5. This road would lead nicely onto the current airport entrance roundabout.
6. It would cater for virtually all traffic coming from the Jack Lynch Tunnel and Carrigaline. All this traffic would then use the Bloomfield Interchange which is completely freeflow.

Chris_5339762

The option on the map would have to tie in with the (suspended) N28 dualling. I presume this plan is to get traffic off the Kinsale Road Roundabout?

AugustusMinimus

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

The option on the map would have to tie in with the (suspended) N28 dualling.

From what I know, this has been put on the long finger. I'd imagine that a complicated junction, incorporating the old Carrigaline road leading to Douglas would have to be built if the dualling goes ahead soon.

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

I presume this plan is to get traffic off the Kinsale Road Roundabout?

I think the biggest problem is the constant traffic queuing down airport hill trying to access the roundabout. On Friday evenings it's absolutely shocking. On the other hand, the Bloomfield Interchange could easily soak up more traffic. Amazing that this was junction was done correctly from day one.

corktina

looks fine to me, can't see why opt 3 wouldn't work!

KCAccidental

from what I've read (will find a link if I can) the actual plan is to have a road from south of the sarsfield road roundabout to the airport, but it is dependent on the terminal being extended with further airbridges.

So, it wont happen anytime before 2020.

350125GO!

KCAccidental wrote: »

from what I've read (will find a link if I can) the actual plan is to have a road from south of the sarsfield road roundabout to the airport, but it is dependent on the terminal being extended with further airbridges.

So, it wont happen anytime before 2020.

Indeed. The sarsfield road is to be extended up to the roundabout where the new high rise carpark in the airport is.

kub

350125GO! wrote: »

Indeed. The sarsfield road is to be extended up to the roundabout where the new high rise carpark in the airport is.

Looking at the map above and my own knowledge of the roads around the airport, that makes sense. For example, Sarsfield Road joins up with Spur Hill, so all they need to is break through at that junction and join up with the narrow road which is currently the one which leads up top the soccer pitches, in this they only need to go through 2 fields and only need to widen the narrow road, then its straight into the airport campus.

AugustusMinimus

Not a bad idea I guess. Would involve only buying about 4 fields in total and the widening of a number of sections of roads which are there already.

Wouldn't mind seeing a N27 - N28 tie up though. Would take a lot of pressure off the SRR.

corktina

logical isnt it..(is it that road comes to a bit of a dead end as it is near the Funeral Parlour...?)

AugustusMinimus

corktina wrote: »

logical isnt it..(is it that road comes to a bit of a dead end as it is near the Funeral Parlour...?)

That's the one. Currently it ends at a T junction.

The plan as is would also provide direct access from Togher to the Airport via the Togher Road (if you take a left at the roundabout outside of Centra in Togher.

TheChizler

I hate to say go to Wikipedia, but there's a good section on the future expansion of the airport!

Edit: The on the airport page that is!

AugustusMinimus

I presume you'd be talking something like this.

IMO. More of these sort of roads need to be built in the outskirts. Continued housing developments which feed into single roads, which aren't linked to any others are causing bottle necks everywhere.

Grids need to be built further out to get rid of this problem.

Aidan1

Augustus - don't think the topography would easily allow for the precise route you're suggesting so it'll be interesting to see how they fit it in, particularly when you consider that the runway extension is also to go on that (north) end of 17/24.

Also, the SLAP for the airport mentions any new road taking up to 30% of the passenger and staff trips, and being part of a 'public transport loop', so it's unlikely that it'll be a simple two lane road either.

AugustusMinimus

Aidan1 wrote: »

Augustus - don't think the topography would easily allow for the precise route you're suggesting so it'll be interesting to see how they fit it in, particularly when you consider that the runway extension is also to go on that (north) end of 17/24.

Also, the SLAP for the airport mentions any new road taking up to 30% of the passenger and staff trips, and being part of a 'public transport loop', so it's unlikely that it'll be a simple two lane road either.

You ideally don't want it to be going up Sarsfields Hill so. I would imagine my alternative route via the N28 would be much more suitable considering it would tie into HQDC and would access the SRR via a freeflow junction.

Can't wait to see what they'll do with the runway extension. For one there is a road in the way and a house on one side of the road. Tunnel for road and house to be demolished ?

350125GO!

This pdf is from 2008 but you get the idea...

http://www.corkcoco.ie/co/pdf/359024904.pdf

( From the Cork County Council website. http://www.corkcoco.ie/co/web/Cork%20County%20Council/Departments/Planning/Planning%20Policy%20Unit%20%28PPU%29/Work%20in%20Progress )

KCAccidental

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

You ideally don't want it to be going up Sarsfields Hill so. I would imagine my alternative route via the N28 would be much more suitable considering it would tie into HQDC and would access the SRR via a freeflow junction.

Can't wait to see what they'll do with the runway extension. For one there is a road in the way and a house on one side of the road. Tunnel for road and house to be demolished ?

The topography of all of those routes are pretty challenging, makes me wish the the airport had been built down by Midleton instead of Ballygarvan.

Just think... HQDC access, Rail access and not as prone to high winds & fog.

what could have been

AugustusMinimus

KCAccidental wrote: »

The topography of all of those routes are pretty challenging, makes me wish the the airport had been built down by Midleton instead of Ballygarvan.

Just think... HQDC access, Rail access and not as prone to high winds & fog.

what could have been

That was the original plan I think before the men with the brown envelopes turned up

Aidan1

That was the original plan I think before the men with the brown envelopes turned up

Thats the story, but I've heard it resoundingly denied by those who would know too. The other location was Ballyvodock, which would have been further from the city and quite a distance from the railway line too (but much better in plenty of other ways).

Looking at it again, this project could be quite expensive, no matter what route is chosen given the gradients and the amount of embankment/cuttings required. Also notable that it'll cross the old route for the West Cork railway (!).

ForiegnNational

From The Examiner, reporting on council plans in support of the proposal to knock down the old Cork airport terminal building:

The county council’s assistant chief executive, Declan Daly, said the local authority is preparing to upgrade the roundabout on the main road adjacent to the airport to ease congestion. It also plans to make the approaches to the airport look more attractive to visitors.

Mr Daly said there was a need to look at developing a new road to the airport from the Sarsfield Road roundabout, near Bishopstown.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/cork-airport-old-terminal-to-be-torn-down-461610.html

marno21

Long term, there were rumours on another forum that TII have now given up on the existing South Ring and a future motorway ring is planned Glanmire, Killeens, Kerry Pike, Ballincollig, Ballinhassig, Airport, Ringaskiddy.

Would take the route of the planned North Ring, part of an M71 and connect from Ballinhassing to Ringaskiddy as an Outer Orbital of sorts.

The existing N40 from the N28 to Dunkettle is not TEN-T compliant and will have level of service issues going forward. The same is true of the M7 and the M50, where there are talks of multipoint tolling to solve this issue.

Aontachtoir

marno21 wrote: »

Long term, there were rumours on another forum that TII have now given up on the existing South Ring and a future motorway ring is planned Glanmire, Killeens, Kerry Pike, Ballincollig, Ballinhassig, Airport, Ringaskiddy.

Would take the route of the planned North Ring, part of an M71 and connect from Ballinhassing to Ringaskiddy as an Outer Orbital of sorts.

The existing N40 from the N28 to Dunkettle is not TEN-T compliant and will have level of service issues going forward. The same is true of the M7 and the M50, where there are talks of multipoint tolling to solve this issue.

What's the issue with the N40 between Bloomfield and Dunkettle? If the new single-carriageway connector road to Foynes is to be considered TEN-T compliant, why does the fully grade-separated N40 dual carriageway not make the grade?

marno21

Aontachtoir wrote: »

What's the issue with the N40 between Bloomfield and Dunkettle? If the new single-carriageway connector road to Foynes is to be considered TEN-T compliant, why does the fully grade-separated N40 dual carriageway not make the grade?

Nothing to do with standard, just level of service caused by traffic jams and crashes, and vulnerability due to the crashes which cause obscene delays and are very frequent

Heartbreak Hank

marno21 wrote: »

Long term, there were rumours on another forum that TII have now given up on the existing South Ring and a future motorway ring is planned Glanmire, Killeens, Kerry Pike, Ballincollig, Ballinhassig, Airport, Ringaskiddy.

Would take the route of the planned North Ring, part of an M71 and connect from Ballinhassing to Ringaskiddy as an Outer Orbital of sorts.

The existing N40 from the N28 to Dunkettle is not TEN-T compliant and will have level of service issues going forward. The same is true of the M7 and the M50, where there are talks of multipoint tolling to solve this issue.

Would that have an impact on the planned M28?

marno21

Heartbreak Hank wrote: »

Would that have an impact on the planned M28?

No.

There needs to be high quality road from Cork to Ringaskiddy by 2030 to satisfy European TEN-T regulations.

This is in addition to the fact that the N28 will still be used by Carrigaline and Ringaskiddy traffic going to and from Cork city and suburbs.

Along with the fact that the Port of Cork relocation is delayed, thereby delaying large tracts of land in the city centre that could be used for housing, until the N28 is upgraded.

The proposed outer ring is at best 15 years away.