Midleton to Youghal N25 project advances to design phase

The much-anticipated Midleton to Youghal N25 project has advanced to the Design Phase, according to TD for Cork East and Fianna Fáil transport spokesperson, James O’Connor.

The stretch of the N25 road connecting Midleton to Youghal via Killeagh and Castlemartyr is a well-known bottleneck and has been the site of a number of accidents.

Mr O’Connor has advocated for the improvement of this road, which is currently operating over capacity.

The first steps in the N25 scheme were taken in May of 2022 when Cork County Council procured a technical advisor to prepare a Strategic Assessment Report as required by the Public Spending Code.

The Cork East General Election candidate has confirmed that Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is now in a position to appoint a design consultant to create route options for the project “Upgrading the N25 has been a huge part of the work I have been doing as a local TD and in the next number of weeks we are going to see the appointment of a design consultant by Cork County Council for the new road between Midleton and Youghal,” Mr O’Connor said.

The Fianna Fáil transport spokesperson has said that improvements on the Midleton to Youghal N25 is of “huge importance” as the road is estimated to carry over 19,000 vehicles per day through Castlemartyr.

“Our road infrastructure is not fit for purpose, and I have had made this clear to our government.” 

Mr O’Connor believes that the project advancement in a positive step towards greatly improving the day to day lives of those living in the are:

“I fought hard to deliver this for the people of Cork East. Whether you are commuting home from work or bringing your children to school, this is key to improving the quality of life in the East Cork area.

I have fought hard, put my career on the line back in 2021 when we met for an emergency meeting with the Minister for Transport, An Taoiseach and the Minister for Public Expenditure to get these funds allocated to the East Cork area.” The appointment of the design consultant by TII will allow for the commencement of the route selection process and public consultation.