Section of Cork road to temporarily close to facilitate junction upgrade

The Banteer leg of the N72/R579 Ballymaquirke junction in North Cork is to be temporarily closed to facilitate the completion of the necessary Ballymaquirke junction improvement scheme.

Cork County Council amended the proposed temporary road closure following consultations with the elected members of Kanturk Mallow Municipal District and An Garda Síochána, together with a review of submissions following a public consultation.

As a result, the duration of the proposed temporary road closure will be in effect from July 27 through to September 15.

The advertised diversion routes are limited to the L1120 travelling west from Banteer Cross and/or the R579 travelling south from Banteer Cross.

Over the years, the Ballymaquirke junction has witnessed a number of very serious road traffic accidents.

Construction of a junction improvement scheme began in February this year and is currently scheduled to be fully completed by the end of 2023.

In a statement, Cork County Council said “every effort” has been made through the phasing of the works to avoid the need for temporary road closures during the construction of the scheme and to maximise the use of stop/go traffic systems.

However, given a number of constraints that exist on the Banteer leg of the N72/R579 Ballymaquirke junction, the local authority said it is necessary to temporarily close this leg of the junction to safely construct the works.

The county council said that once complete, the junction improvement scheme “will enhance transportation efficiency and safety for all road users together with providing a positive impact on the quality of life for residents and businesses in the local community into the future”.