The route for a new 80km dual carriageway road between Cork to Limerick was announced today.
The N/M20 road promises to improve bus times between the two cities by up to 30 minutes as well as a direct hourly train service, with no changeover at Limerick Junction, and an 80km Greenway.
The preferred road will travel north from Cork passing Blarney and Grenagh and will bypass east of Mallow and Buttevant. It will then swing west bypassing Charleville before joining the current M20 motorway to Limerick at Patrickswell.
It will bypass Mallow, New Twopothouse, Buttevant, Charleville, and Banogue in a bid to alleviate traffic in these towns as well as improve air quality.
In the plan, up to 40% of the current N20 will be re-used and turned into a high-quality dual carriageway which aims to achieve average journey speeds of 90 km/h.
The road could take several years to complete and costs have been estimated at over €1 billion.
Over 2,000 letters were posted to land and property owners on Wednesday who could be impacted by the new route, with some potentially facing compulsory purchase.
In a statement, Minister for Transport and leader of the Green Party, Eamon Ryan, said that today’s announcement was "an important step forward".
Taking to Twitter later, he said the new N/M20 route “isn't your usual road project” and detailed further plans which encompass improved public transport links as well as a Greenway.
Here are all the proposed features that have been included in the planning for the road:
Bus times between Cork and Limerick reduced by 30 mins
The bus is the most used form of public transport between Cork and Limerick.
Current journey times between Cork and Limerick range from 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes, depending on the operator.
The project plans claim the new road has the potential to reduce bus journey times between the two cities to 1 hour 6 minutes - cutting the travel time by 30 minutes.
Bus Eireann are also exploring the opportunity for Cork to Galway services with a target journey time of 2 hours 30 minutes.
Direct trains between Cork and Limerick
There has been a recommendation for an hourly direct train service between Cork and Limerick, with no change at Limerick Junction, which will reduce journey times by 20 minutes
The average journey time (including changeover) between Cork and Limerick is currently 1 hour 43 minutes.
Irish Rail are progressing proposals to improve line speeds that will result in this journey time improving to around 1 hour 31 minutes.
80km of Greenway
As part of this project, over 80km of safe walking and cycling routes will be created connecting rural towns and villages along the route.
It also aims to create Greenways between Cork and Limerick to capitalise on the growing recreation tourism sector.
The projects aims to investigate options for these Greenways including the abandoned Charleville to Patrickswell rail line.
Mobility Hubs
A Series of 'Mobility Hubs' along the route, have been proposed including 'Park and Ride' sites at Raheen and Blarney.
It hopes to offer users in local areas the ability to travel part of the journey by one mode; walking, cycling, local bus or private car and continuing by express bus or train.
The hubs will also provide charging points for electric vehicles and eBikes.
For further information and to see an online public display visit www.corklimerick.ie.
