Dunkettle project ‘progressing well despite weather challenges’

“GOOD progress” has been made on the Dunkettle Interchange Upgrade project in recent weeks despite “challenging weather conditions” a senior engineering inspector with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) has said.

In a progress update on the €215m project on Friday, the project team stated that steel fixing works are progressing well at structure ST03 and that the team is on track to cast this bridge deck by mid-April.

Meanwhile, the deck of structure ST04 was poured as planned last Thursday.

Structures ST03 and ST04 are structures south of the N25 that will carry link roads that will connect Little Island with the tunnel, with the city and with the M8.

Additionally, over the course of the week, gantry directional signage was installed at various locations across the site.

Bridge deck waterproofing works are ongoing at the existing interchange structures ST17 and ST18.

This waterproofing treatment is also required on the existing structures ST14 and ST15.

The Dunkettle project team have said these works will necessitate short-term road closures, details of which will be provided in advance of the works taking place.

Motorists are again reminded that speed control measures, coupled with CCTV monitoring are in place across the site and will remain in place over the coming months.

Speaking to The Echo, TII senior engineering inspector Jim McCarthy said the project is progressing well.

“A lot of the steel gantries that will support electronic and static signage have gone up in recent weeks and there has been a lot of tarmacking works.

“I think from an aerial viewpoint, the route and all of the different links are becoming much more apparent.

“There has been good progress in recent weeks despite challenging weather conditions,” he said.

The Dunkettle project which is being delivered by TII, in partnership with Cork County Council and Cork City Council, is on track to be completed by February 2024.