Cork traffic: Proposal to develop additional lane on approach to Kinsale Road Roundabout at design stage 

A proposal to develop a second traffic lane from Frankfield down towards the Kinsale Road Roundabout is currently at detailed design stage.

At a council meeting in February last year, councillors approved proposed works on Frankfield Road primarily aimed at providing safe, accessible and convenient pedestrian and cycle facilities that will link housing estates in the area to existing cycling facilities at the Kinsale Road Roundabout.

At that meeting, Fine Gael councillor Shane O'Callaghan said he had suggested one amendment to the original proposal.

“The original plan included a proposal to narrow the road from the Circle K service station back to the entrance to Alderbrook and at the time I intervened and I told council officials that if the road from the Circle K station back to the end of Alderbrook was narrowed, the unofficial second lane of traffic would disappear and the result would be a disaster for the area and would lead to traffic gridlock in the area every morning,” he said.

The updated plan proposed to create a second official traffic lane from the junction at the Kinsale Road Roundabout all the way back to the vehicular entrance to Alderbrook – which was agreed by councillors.

Update from NTA 

Earlier this month Mr O’Callaghan sought an update from the National Transport Authority (NTA) which allocated €50,000 to progress the detailed design of the scheme.

“The scheme is currently at detailed design stage.

“It is now likely to go to construction tender in early 2025 subject to necessary project progression consents,” the NTA told Mr O’Callaghan.

“The current programme anticipates construction commencing in Q2 2025 subject to approval of required funding and necessary project progression consents.

“The current programme anticipates construction completion in Q4 2025 subject to approval of required funding and necessary project progression consents,” the NTA added.

Mr O’Callaghan, who is contesting the next general election in Cork South Central, welcomed the progress so far.

“I’m very happy with the progress on it to date.

“It was as a result of my intervention that they actually changed the project from narrowing the road down to one traffic lane and getting rid of the unofficial traffic lane – they changed it based on my intervention to include two traffic lanes.

“That was subsequently passed by the council. It’s something I have been pushing for and I have been advocating for,” he said.

“I would be confident and I would be very much pushing for funding to be allocated,” he added.

'Huge volumes of traffic'

However, former Independent councillor Mick Finn, who is also contesting the next general election in Cork South Central, expressed concern over the lack of clarity around funding.

“One chink of light is that design work is ongoing,” he added.

“We all know the present roadway linking the N40 to Frankfield and Grange isn’t fit for purpose given the huge volumes of traffic using it and I of course support the idea of an added lane.

“With the presence of significantly large housing estates, retail and services… and a large concentration of industrial estates, the Frankfield/Grange area is choc a block and needs solutions to the daily chaos.”