Cork Southern Distributor Road [route selection]

Pete_Cavan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121629325#Comment_121629325

Well it would remove from the N40 traffic from the general Douglas area looking to get to places between Douglas and the N71. That traffic would either use the SDR or, ideally, switch to public transport. It would also discourage people from using the N40 and South Link Road to get to the city centre.

The only way to address the N28 to N27 section is to get some of that traffic off the road. The only way to do that is to provide a distributor road with proper public transport and have the N40 as a bypass. Ideally the SDR as I proposed would extend further west but there just isn't any suitable space. I don't think there are any perfect solutions to be had here but I think the above is as good as it gets.

Pete_Cavan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121629393#Comment_121629393

I did think about the new N40 conticontinuing south of the Bandon Road Roundabout too but I don't think it is worth it. The existing N40 west of the N71 is good, there is no point in replicating it further south, the costs would outweigh the benefits.

DylanQuestion

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121630006#Comment_121630006

The worst thing about removing the N40 as access to the city centre for the southside is that Bus Connects is advocating that people in Douglas and surrounds use the N40 and N27 instead of Douglas Road! It makes no sense to me

snotboogie

I’d run the Luas East and then South to Carrigaline (and possibly Ringaskiddy) on the current N28 rather than South by the N27 to the Airport. There is a very difficult build around Douglas but get you access to Douglas Village and current big population and development centres in Maryborough and Carrigaline and the gradient going South is much smoother on this corridor. You still have the option of a spur to the airport further down the line if it keeps growing. You also have an option to tie into a potential commuter rail bridge from Great Island to Glenbrook or Monkstown which could be run south to create an interchange station just north of Carrigaline which could be zoned for dense development. You then tie in massive areas of traditionally disparate residential and commercial activity throughout the harbour areas with a public transport network.

KrisW1001

I recommend using a map with contour lines as a base layer for these drawings.. there's some really nasty gradients along that route, which would need a lot of cutting or bridging to bring within the specification for a new road build.

Limerick74

A series of park and rides at every junction on N40, with loads of buses and toll the N40. Seems crazy to be considering a bypass of the bypass these days. Northern distributor road more essential imho.

Pete_Cavan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121636018#Comment_121636018

No doubt it would be a difficult and expensive build, probably involving tunnelled sections. I'd still see it as the most realistic option which would make an actual difference. The idea of creating a suitable SDR out of existing residential roads simply isn't realistic, just look at Cork BusConnects.

The official proposal and image in the first post on this thread seems to indicate a new section of road in that area anyway, just as SDR rather than N40. If that new section of SDR is to have general traffic lanes, bus lanes and public/active transport provision, it would be as wide as a new N40 with all the same engineering challenges so would be just as expensive.

My proposal creates a high quality SDR which could effectively function as a distributor road to relieve the N40 of that function. It also major provision for public and active transport without having to CPO at all. It requires a relatively short offline new build, albeit the cost per km would be very high. The only realistic alternative that I can see is to do nothing.