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Cork to Limerick motorway to be included in National Development Plan

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2 years ago

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Cork to Limerick Motorway – An interactive map prototype displaying proposed routes is available to use on the Cork to Limerick website.

Cork to Limerick motorway to be included in National Development Plan

By I Love Limerick Correspondent Ann Mc Donald

cork to limerick motorway

Michael McGrath TD made the announcement during a Cork Chamber briefing


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The long-awaited Cork to Limerick motorway will be included in the National Development Plan (NDP), which is due to be published in the coming weeks according to Minister for Public Expenditure, Michael McGrath.

The new NDP will include €165bn worth of spending between now and 2030, which Minister McGrath said will be, “very good for Cork.”

He said that while money won’t be an issue for the project, having it ready to go may be a challenge.

Speaking at a Cork Chamber briefing, Mr McGrath said the Cork to Ringaskiddy road has cleared all the legal hurdles and significant work will be carried out over the next three years on this project.

“The Cork to Limerick motorway project is further back in the process but will continue to progress, and I’m confident that will be supported in the context of the National Development Plan,” he said.

The N/M20 Cork to Limerick Road Improvement Scheme is currently at Phase 2 Option Selection, which comprises two stages. During Stage 1 of this phase, the project team considered the identified constraints to develop a range of technically feasible road-based and rail-based options within the study area.

In Stage 1, 18 road-based options between the outskirts of Cork and Limerick were initially assessed under three criteria; Engineering, Environment and Economy.  The assessments enabled the better performing road-based options to be identified, and also determined that a number of options will not be given further consideration.

As a part of the consideration of alternatives for provisions of an improved transport link between Cork and Limerick, three rail-based options were developed to improve rail service journey times and frequency between the cities.

During the public consultation, feedback was invited on the road-based and rail-based options proposed for further examination. The options are appraised on the basis of 500m wide corridors within which option alignments have the potential to be developed. Such design development will be undertaken for the preferred option in Phase 3 when the overall extent of the proposed works will be defined. 

The N/M20 Cork to Limerick Road Improvement Scheme is a key element in Project Ireland 2040, the Government’s long-term overarching strategy to make Ireland a better country for all of its people. The Strategy comprises the National Planning Framework (NPF) to 2040 and the National Development Plan (NDP) 2018-2027.

The NPF and NDP both identify improved accessibility between urban centres of population and their regions as a major enabler for balanced regional development.

For more information on the Cork to Limerick Motorway go HERE 

For more stories on community go HERE 

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