Northern Distributor Road for Cork city moves a step closer

The planned route for a road described as a “critical enabler” for Cork city will go to public consultation early next year, the National Transport Authority (NTA) has confirmed.

Responding to a parliamentary question submitted by Fianna Fáil TD for Cork North Central, Pádraig O’Sullivan, the NTA confirmed that it was reviewing recommendations made by Cork City Council for the Northern Distributor Road, and expected public consultation to begin in early 2025.

Proposals for the multi-modal Cork Northern Distributor Road were contained in the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy, published in 2020, which detailed the transportation investment required to support the ongoing development of Cork until 2040.

Approximately 14km in length, the proposed distributor road would provide a strategic orbital transport corridor around the northside of Cork city, including dedicated bus lanes and bus stops, dedicated cycle lanes, high-quality footpaths, and pedestrian crossings.

Mr O’Sullivan said: “This much-needed route will significantly help congestion in the city and allow the rollout of sustainable transport measures, including public transport services for the North Cork area.”

In its report, CMATS said the eventual route would need to take several considerations into account, including the River Lee and its associated floodplain, the need for a new bridge, and a desire to avoid severing the Lee Fields.

ASSESSMENT

In its reply to Mr O’Sullivan, the NTA said Cork City Council had been undertaking a comprehensive assessment process to identify a preferred route.

The Northern Distributor Road is proposed as a separate project to the long-proposed Northern Ring Road, which was also referenced in Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy.

The Northern Ring Road, which has been on various drawing boards for over two decades, is proposed to extend from the South Ring Road west of the city, extending north-east past Ballincollig, Blarney, and Monard, linking with the planned M20 Cork to Limerick motorway and the M8 Cork to Dublin motorway.

Sinn Féin Cork North Central TD Thomas Gould said: “In recent weeks there’s been a number of accidents on the South Link, or in the tunnel, causing traffic chaos — if the Northern Ring Road was in place, if there was an accident, traffic could flow the other way.”

Calling on all Cork TDs to prioritise the project, Mr Gould expressed fear that if the Northern Distributor Road was not progressed at pace, it would fall behind the Cork-Limerick M20 development and might not actually happen until the 2030s.

“At the moment, there is no plan to deliver the Northern Ring Road, there is no commitment from either Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael to deliver the necessary funding to deliver it,” he added.

Oliver Moran, the northside-based Green Party city councillor, said the Northern Distributor Road would be “a critical enabler” for the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy.

“That’s because, as well as allowing a northern orbital route, it means a freer city centre for pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport by reducing the need for cross-city motor traffic,” he said.

Labour Party councillor John Maher said the Northern Distributor Road needed to be a “priority for the next government”.