'Bumper to bumper': Traffic chaos due to Dunkettle works prompts call for northern relief road in Cork

A senior engineer with the Cork National Roads Office has confirmed that the €215m Dunkettle Project remains "on track" to be completed by the second quarter in 2024.

The senior engineer with the Cork National Roads Office (NRO), Sean Callery said the project is on track at this week's Southern Committee meeting.

Mr Callery said the project which is being delivered by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is ‘progressing’ well. 

“It opened to traffic on Monday, October 24. It basically takes traffic across the new Little Island interchange and around the junction in that direction. It is progressing well, and a lot of the structures are substantially complete. The project overall remains on track, and we are hoping for completion in Q2 2024 overall,” he said.

Significant changes were introduced at the Dunkettle Interchange last weekend, as three key roads were opened to traffic. 

Fine Gael councillor Michael Hegarty said the works are not helping the situation with regards to traffic. 

“I hit Carrigtwohill at 8am on Monday morning and from the first slip road to Carrigtwohill all the way to the tunnel it was bumper to bumper with both lanes full of cars. 

"There are more cars than ever on the road. The works are not helping the situation. I would like to see the Northern Relief Road progressed as soon as possible.” 

Cork County Council’s Director of Roads, Padraig Barrett acknowledged traffic is back to pre-Covid levels and said an element of balancing is required. 

“There were significant changes made to the layout at Dunkettle last weekend. Dramatic changes in terms of the opening of two new slip roads, one coming from the tunnel and the other coming from the M8 both travelling east. 

"These had consequential impacts on all the other arms of the junction and there will need to be a rebalancing of traffic as a result of those changes. I would imagine this will happen over the coming weeks.

“Traffic is back to pre-Covid levels so there will be an element of balancing at the demands on the arms of the roundabout that will be necessary because of the changes that took place last weekend. 

"I know the site team are working on that to rebalance the traffic lights in response to the changes in capacity that have occurred there over the weekend,” he added.