Cork to Limerick motorway route options to be clear by December 

ROUTE options for the M20 Cork to Limerick Motorway are to be narrowed down by Christmas this year, County Hall officials have told elected members.

Speaking at County Hall, Director of Roads Padraig Barrett said the identified corridor which has been earmarked within the vicinity of the N20, via Charleville and Mallow, is being looked at and he expects that the options will be narrowed down by Christmas this year.

Mr Barrett said this will give a clearer picture of what the 80km motorway will look like.

The Director of Roads also confirmed to Green Party Councillor Alan O’Connor that rail options were still being explored.

During a Q&A at County Hall, Mr Barrett said, rail options are still included. “Direct links from Charleville to Limerick and then upgrading of the link from Charleville to Limerick junction and onto Limerick are still included.

“It came up at a meeting recently and everyone was insistent that those options would continue to be included.” 

The Project was officially launched by the Taoiseach on May, 2, 2019 in Limerick and the revised Project Appraisal Plan was approved by Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport on August, 12, 2019, allowing the project to proceed to appraisal, which identified the preferred route corridor.

It is understood the project will cost in the region of €900m and will reduce travel times between Cork and Limerick significantly.

Further extensive Traffic surveys were carried out in February/March 2020 and phase two studies for the scheme have begun and research on constraints that affect the scheme is underway.

As well as this, Mr Barrett outlined that Site Investigation and Topographical Survey Documents are being prepared for the project.

Construction of the motorway is expected to commence in 2023 with an estimated completion date of 2027 Full details of the project objectives, the appraisal process, evaluation of scenarios to date and next steps are available on www.corklimerick.ie.