MOTORISTS can expect delays on the M8 in Cork over the coming days, as the first new flyover at the Dunkettle interchange gets ready to open this weekend.

The opening of the flyover, known as ST08 and located on the northern side of the Jack Lynch tunnel, marks a major milestone in the Dunkettle Interchange Upgrade Project.

The €215m project aims to reconfigure the existing interchange to a free-flowing interchange with 52 structures of various forms.

To date, the works have been largely off-line. However, over the coming months, a number of new link roads and associated structures will be opened to traffic, beginning with the new ST08 flyover on Sunday.

Speaking to The Echo, Cork Chamber CEO Conor Healy said that the opening will be a boost for Cork.

“The opening is a boost for the entire Cork region and it’s hugely positive to see ongoing progress on one of Cork’s most critical infrastructure projects,” he said.

“The update on the progress couldn’t come at a better time as traffic volumes look set to increase in the coming months with the phased return to offices now underway.”

Motorists are being warned to expect delays over the coming days ahead of the opening.

The Ibis slip road from L2998 to the M8 will be closed from 10am on Thursday, January 27, to Sunday, February 6.

The M8 southbound will be reduced to one lane during this period before traffic is directed over the new flyover from Sunday, January 30.

Traffic from the Ibis slip road will also be directed over the new flyover from its reopening on February 6, as will M8 northbound traffic by February 13.

The new arrangement will result in slightly increased delays to M8 southbound traffic during the morning rush hour.

In an update provided yesterday, the N40/Dunkettle team said that the approach had allowed the completion date to be moved forward by several weeks and that every effort will be made to mitigate delays.

“Motorists proposing to utilise the M8 southbound for their journey during AM peak times should allow additional time for their journey,” the update said.

“We will be reconfiguring the traffic light sequencing over the next couple of weeks in order to further minimise any additional delay arising for M8 southbound traffic.”

Works are now underway on all of the interchange’s main structures, with a new free-flow link, known as Link U, for traffic heading north on the M8 from the Tivoli roundabout scheduled to open in early March.

Another link, known as Link T, will cater for local traffic from the Tivoli roundabout after April.

The delivery date for the project has been brought forward from the end of March 2024 to mid-February 2024.