M28 - Cork to Ringaskiddy [under construction; 2028 completion]

Hibernicis

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123348590#Comment_123348590

Yes, also in this case no grade separated junctions (roundabouts instead), single (not dual) carriageway and lower speed limit. Think of protected road as the application of certain motorway type restrictions to a single or dual carriageway road.

Something similar is planned for the Rathkeale to Foynes section of the Limerick-Foynes project.

KrisW1001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123351925#Comment_123351925

Rathkeale-Foynes will be 2+2, so there’s a very clear deterrent to cyclists and pedestrians built in to the design. This will be the first “normal” road to be marked as vehicle-only. I think the designation is to avoid having to build a foot and cycle path beside the road, as would normally be the case with a new single-carriageway.

Actually, to date, I do not believe that there’s any legal prohibition of non-motor users on existing 2+2 roads. N22 Macroom, for instance, has no signage to suggest that there’s a ban on cyclists, animals or pedestrians, and so I suspect it is actually legal (if foolhardy) for someone to walk along it. Same goes for other 2+2 and 2+1 roads. I know that a lack of signage doesn’t mean that there’s no order in place, and that ignorance of an order is no defence for breaching it, but you’d expect some kind of warning at the start of such roads to prevent accidentally dangerous use of the road.

hans aus dtschl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123356414#Comment_123356414

Possibly the designation is to prevent property being built directly accessing the road too.

The NTA/TII don't really tend to care about the cycle/pedestrian on 2+2 thing too much. If the cycle/pedestrian thing was a priority, they'd prioritise schemes to solve that issue. Not sure if it's visible to everyone but there is great reluctance to progress greenway or cycleway schemes in the ringaskiddy area despite the large employment numbers. Rather the NTA/TII tend to progress the "overall traffic good" and tag the active travel onto the side of the main project. In this scheme they didn't even do that much, and that's because it's an older scheme, from when they "didn't have enough money for anyone not in cars, so someone else can do it, like the Local Authority".

Also as an aside, as someone who cycles on some 2+2's regularly enough, some can feel very safe. Safer than some 1+1's even. N25 is very comfortable, R624 very uncomfortable (you'll often see people cycling and walking the N25). And N8 at Tivoli is absolutely terrifying, despite even having footpaths.

Long post but just saying I doubt "protected" has a huge amount to do with vehicle class in this instance, more likely to do with preserving the character of the road as having very specific junctions only.

Limerick74

You are correct and the N22 Macroom Bypass is not a protected road or a motorway so there cannot be any legal prohibition on types of traffic or classes of vehicle under the road act. I would not like to walk along the verge of a 100kph 2+2 or 2+1 road.

Chris_5339762

I think the Lee and Limerick tunnels have specific restrictions on pedestrian and cycle users. Apart from the Cork marathon.

KrisW1001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123356526#Comment_123356526

The earlier 2+2 roads had no cycling provision at all, but the design standard for newer projects mandates a parallel route for cyclists and pedestrians. That design requirement dates only from 2019 or so, I believe, and N22 was already in planning by then.

There is a project to add a cycleway to N4 Castlebaldwin-Collooney: that project is now in planning, I think; but there was no such proposal for N22 that I know of. Given that “old-N22” is a more direct route from one side of Macroom to the other, it's very likely that the cycleway will be provided as part of the Macroom public realm works. West of Macroom, a greenway would be a better solution given the tourism potential here (and the horrible twistyness of the old road), but there seems to be none planned. The “Muskerry” Greenway stops at Macroom, ignoring the fact that there are two Baronies of Muskerry: one East, and one West.

hans aus dtschl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123356536#Comment_123356536

Imagine having to live on one, like the people on N25 or N18!

Seriously though, some of the 2+2's are a lot safer than 1+1's. N25 East of Midleton is a good bit less safe than N25 West of Midleton. Standard width hard shoulders make a big difference.

hans aus dtschl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123356627#Comment_123356627

Agreed on all points. I'm reasonably confident N/M28 was well advanced in 2019 too. I remember discussing with …people… and the consensus was "please don't raise this because we can't go back to design". There were a lot of promises to progress the active along the N28 as a different project. I do believe it will happen tbh.

I think in terms of greenways out Macroom direction, the major talk is the "lee to sea", but I think the current discussions end at around Iniscarra and have very little traction unfortunately!

cantalach

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123347683#Comment_123347683

The negotiations with the chosen contractor yielded a final price tag and, as the Examiner article linked to above explains, “Cabinet approval was required before contracts could be signed.” Cork County Council can now sign the contract.

blindsider

So, Coffey Construction are working away on the Barnahely to Ringaskiddy section, and it's taking shape. I was down in Ringaskiddy for a meeting yesterday and the progress is clear to see.

My question is, as this is scheduled to be completed soon-ish (12 months?) will it open as a stand-alone road, and if so, what benefit might it bring?

Thanks!

cantalach

It’s now a month and a day since the Cabinet gave the final sign-off on the M28, authorising the signing of the main contract. The press release from Government said the project would, “immediately progress to the construction phase.” And yet here we are, apparently with no contract signed and certainly no sign of construction having actually started. The pace of progress in this country can only dismay.

KrisW1001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123433913#Comment_123433913

This is normal, and nothing to do with government. The contractor will have had its legal people going through the final contract, and there will be requests for clarification going back and forth. If it was three months, I'd be concerned that an isdue had arisen

This is a job costing hundreds of millions, so you can't just assume that an ambiguous part of the contract means what you think it means.

cantalach

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123434310#Comment_123434310

I didn’t mean to imply that it had anything to do with Government. On the contrary, I said that the Government had already given its final sign-off. My criticism was on the pace since, and whoever is responsible for that. Following selection of the preferred bidder, there were months of contract negotiation. If they didn’t do all the back and forth on the fine details of the contract during that time, what on Earth were they negotiating?

Hibernicis

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1j0e5dbHUII

Further update from Dronehawk showing the current status of the construction works on the Ringaskiddy to Barnahely protected road section including the cut at the Ringaskiddy end and the final roundabout taking shape.

Limerick74

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-41633083.html

BAM confirmed as successful contractor

cantalach

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123451685#Comment_123451685

Signing end of month and, by the sound of things, getting stuck into it straight away. Great news.

cork_south

Great news for people from the area.

Terrible news for long suffering users of the South Ring road not coming from that direction.

Hailtothethief

Looks like the contract is signed

https://www.rte.ie/news/munster/2025/0522/1514393-cork-motorway/

Pete_Cavan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123475585#Comment_123475585

The construction contract signed by Cork County Council is valued at €206 million, and part of the total project budget of €456m.

Pretty incredible that doing the actual work is less than half the value of the total project budget. Just shows the scale of advanced and enabling works done. I'd say the motorway will be open before 2028.

Larbre34

I worked alongside BAM on the M50 construction a million moons ago, and while their record on hospitals could be called into question, they do know how to build motorways well and pretty fast.

In fact, looking at the budget for the M28, compared to what we were spending 20 years ago on the M50, € 206m for the main construction element feels like excellent value in the current market.

But, by the same token, it also feels like the tender is very bare bones indeed, and the cost of claims could be quick and severe.

DylanQuestion

”Funding for the project is being provided by Transport Infrastructure Ireland.”

I thought it was being funded by the EU?

Cookiemunster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123475895#Comment_123475895

The EU hasn't funded anything in Ireland for decades. We don't qualify for cohesion funding as we're too rich.

Under the Ten-T scheme we could apply for some funding from the Connecting Europe Fund, but we haven't in this case.

Ireland received €110m last year from that fund, but that went to the ports of Dublin and Cork.

veryangryman

Oh the short lived joy when the newsreader said "great news for cork as contracts signed for the new M twenty....."

Then the prick went on to say 8. Fml

Cookiemunster

We seeing as the M20 hasn't even gotten to ABP yet, there were never going say anything other than M28.

blindsider

A lot of work being done off-line I believe, and it's great to see this

develop into this:

foundations for one of the overpasses…

Would love to think they'll make great progress between now and October when the weather changes.

DylanQuestion

Is that for the M28 or part of the Murnane O’Shea residential development?

Cookiemunster

Seems a bit much for a residential development doesn't it? An over bridge that size would cost millions of Euro

Hibernicis

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123522784#Comment_123522784

Correct, it's the privately developed (Murnane & O'Shea) access bridge to the Castletreasure LRD. It will be accessed from Carr's Hill, and is to the West and slightly North of the M28 Carr's Hill junction.

DylanQuestion

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123522883#Comment_123522883

One like that was built closer to Douglas a few years ago to serve the residential area Bayly

https://maps.app.goo.gl/XwPevD6umCJ3NGyx7

blindsider

Thanks for clarifying folks - always good to have accurate information!