Macroom Bypass vital for Kerry travel

THE long-awaited Macroom Bypass is a €280m project to build the N22 dual carriageway that will bypass Macroom and Ballyvourney, greatly improving the travel times and safety of the Cork to Kerry route.

The main design and build contract was signed by Jons Civil Engineering Ltd and John Cradock Ltd in 2019. The project is expected to take three and a half years from 2020.

The scheme, includes 22kms of new road, approved by An Bord Pleanála eight years ago.

Construction will involve building an online roundabout outside Macroom at Coolcower, along with five new offline roundabouts. River bridges will be needed at the Sullane, Laney, Foherish and Bohill rivers along with a river diversion at Owengrave. There will be 24 farm over and underpasses.

Construction includes 18 local road bridges and road alignments. The bypass will run from Coolcower to the Kerry side of Ballyvourney.

The Kerry Slug will also be accommodated by the works. An environmental works contract was put in place in the summer of 2018 which included the creation of a suitable receiving environment for the long-term “translocation” of the slug as well as works to ensure the protection of the Freshwater Pearl Mussel which is present in the works area.

Three archaeological contracts along the route were completed in 2018 and a site investigation to assess ground conditions was also completed.

Public information days will be held in the coming weeks to give the public an opportunity to meet with the contractor, view drawings and ask questions about the project.

Details of the times and dates for the information days will be circulated by Cork County Council in due course.