N20 Cork to Limerick road a ‘glorified cattle track’, says minister
Mr O’Donovan said the N20 road was ' not safe' for motorists. Picture: Denis Minihane.
The Minister for Higher Education, Patrick O’Donovan, has described the N20 main Limerick to Cork road as a “glorified cattle track” and that it was “not safe” for motorists.
Speaking on Tuesday at the official sod turning of ground of a new garda station in Newcastle West, the Fine Gael Limerick TD said that a motorway between the two counties should be constructed “as soon as possible”.
It is proposed that upgrading the N20 to a full motorway would reduce travel times between the two cities and improve road safety.
“The second and third largest cities in the country should be linked with a high quality corridor. At the moment, they're linked by a glorified cattle track, it’s not safe, it has numerous accidents and incidents on it every year,” said Minister O’Donovan.
The estimated cost of the road upgrade is around €2 billion, and motorists would have to pay a toll.
It is expected that travel times between the two cities would be reduced by up to 30 minutes after the proposed upgrade.
Last June it was reported that at least 64 people had been killed in road traffic collisions on the N20 over the previous 27 years, and that collisions on the route were likely to be four times more fatal than the average road in Ireland.
However, a lack of confirmed funding for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) has created a level of uncertainty about the progression of the scheme, and it was not specifically mentioned in Budget 2025, delivered last October.
Despite this, Minister O'Donovan said: “The government have committed to the M20 and I've always said that, in my view, because it cuts right through the heart of my constituency, that it should be a motorway.
"I will be looking forward to the next Minister for Transport, whoever that is, to clear up the issue with regard to designation very quickly and make that road a motorway,” he said.
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