New slip road will bypass Dunkettle roundabout bring traffic directly onto the M8 Motorway

A new link road that will connect the Lower Glanmire Road to the M8 Dublin Motorway, bypassing the Dunkettle Roundabout, is to be built despite a 12-month delay to the overall project.

This link will bypass the existing interchange entirely. Once completed it will reduce travel times for those leaving the city and heading onto the motorway as they will no longer stop at the traffic lights on the roundabout. It will also reduce the number of vehicles at the roundabout improving travel times for vehicles heading in other directions.

Construction firm Sisk won the contract to overhaul the Dunkettle Interchange and make it completely free-flowing. They have already carried out extensive preliminary work on the project.

However, the contract included a provision that the State could seek new tenders if the contractor and Transport Infrastructure Ireland could not agree on a price for the construction phase of the project.

It was confirmed this week that agreement could not be reached between both parties and the TII said it hopes to award a new contract next year with parts of the upgraded Dunkettle opening in 2022 and the entire project completed in 2023.

In an update this week, the Dunkettle team said they hoped to progress the slip road project from next month.

They also said they plan to build a shared-use cycle/pedestrian route adjacent to the Cork – Dublin road link. This will be a segregated route separated from the road and will connect the City to the new cycleways for the Glounthaune Road, and the Richmond Road planned by Cork County Council.