'This is needed': Cork councillor calls for Northern Distributor Road to be fast-tracked

Cork City Council, the National Transport Authority (NTA), and the Government have been urged to fast-track plans for the Northern Distributor Road. The options report for the route has yet to be finalised.

Labour councillor for the city’s North East ward, John Maher, sought an update on the proposed road project at a council meeting.

Mr Maher was informed that the strategic assessment for the Northern Distributor multi-modal route was approved by the NTA in December, 2023, and that the options report for the route is being finalised.

This draft report, Mr Maher was informed, will be submitted to the NTA and the Department of Transport in the coming weeks. “Following approval, the public consultation process will be undertaken on the emerging preferred route,” the council said.

“Following confirmation on the preferred route and subject to continued grant funding, works can progress on the preliminary design phase of the scheme.”

Mr Maher said the response was as “clear as mud”. “We don’t know when work will commence or what the route is and, at the same time, we continue to build houses, which are welcome, [but] without knowing where this route will be or if funding will be made available. The layers of bureaucracy are unnecessary and need to stripped back to allow this project to proceed,” he said.

“Commuters on the northside are spending hours in traffic, affecting their quality of life, and this road will allow for faster public transport, take HGVs out of communities, such as Glanmire, Mayfield, Ballyvolane and the northside, and get people to where they need to be faster, while also allowing for cyclists to commute safely.

“This is needed and needed now to allow for balanced development in Cork city.

“It’s very hard to remain positive with the levels of bureaucracy and time it takes to deliver vital infrastructure projects.”