Local TDs oppose possible tolling of Cork to Limerick route

Local representatives have expressed disquiet at a recommendation that the planned new N/M20 motorway linking Cork and Limerick be tolled.

The proposed 80km road that will connect the State’s second and third largest cities, Cork and Limerick, is expected to cost between €1bn and €3bn.

Plans for the motorway were shown to elected representatives yesterday, and a briefing document stated: “Recommendation for distance-based, barrier-free tolling where users pay on the basis of distance travelled on the new M20 — including lower toll charges for zero-emission vehicles.”

Thomas Gould, Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central, and Cork North Central Labour TD Eoghan Kenny said they were told at the briefing that the proposal was to include barrier-free tolling at eight of the junctions on the new road, with road users charged for each portion of their journey. Both representatives said they would strongly oppose any planned toll.

A government spokesperson told The Echo no decision on tolling has been made, adding that the issue would be addressed “much further down the line”.

Separately, officials at Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) told The Echo that such plans had yet to be determined “based on the business case approval”.

Pádraig O’Sullivan, Fianna Fáil TD for Cork North Central, said he would also oppose tolling, while Fine Gael’s Colm Burke said his view was that the development should move ahead and tolling could be looked at in the future.

Representatives were told that priority would be given in the early stages of construction to bypassing congested towns along the route such as Mallow, Buttevant, and Charleville.

The project has been described as a priority investment in the Government’s National Development Plan 2021-2030.

Transport hubs will be set along the route at Rathduff, Mourneabbey, Mallow, Buttevant, Charleville, Bruree, and Croom. These will provide charging points for electric vehicles, as well as encourage car sharing and travel mode change to active travel and public transport.

A freight hub at Mallow will facilitate parking and rest areas for HGV drivers and provide charging points. It is anticipated that the new road would cut journey times between Blarney and Patrickswell down to 40 minutes for cars and 50 minutes for HGVs.

Government approval for the N/M20 motorway, which will also include major interchanges at Charleville and Mallow, is to be sought next year.

It is envisaged that the project could be ready for submission to An Bord Pleanála by summer 2026, with a projected building time of approximately seven years.

The slow delivery of the project, which has been subject to repeated delays, was criticised by Mr Gould, who said more than €15m had been spent on the road since 2019, “before any sod was turned”.

He claimed: “It will surely be the most expensive road that was ever built”.

Mr O’Sullivan said he believed it was “a huge positive” that the road was going ahead, and funding had been committed by Government.

“The review of the National Development Plan will be published in July, and it will become more clear then what the over-all cost designated toward the project will be,” he said.

“Another big positive will be the mobility hubs in places like Rathduff and Mallow, which will allow people the opportunity to leave the car and avail of public transport into the city.”

Mr Burke said the public consultation was essential ahead of the project moving to the next stage.

“The priority now is to move it on now,” he said. Mr Kenny said the proposals were good news for the country, and for his native Mallow, but he added that public consultation was essential.

“At our meeting, I did call for a public consultation to be held in and around the northside of Cork city — in particular in the likes of Blarney, where people will be directly affected by the new road, and further out in places like Grenagh, Rathduff and Whitechurch,” he said.

The Fine Gael TD for Cork North West, John Paul O’Shea, told The Echo that the road would be transformative for towns bypassed.

“In the town of Charleville, in my constituency, several people have been killed on the main street. There’s a huge amount of traffic that flies through the town, and there’s no need for it to be there. The plans would see the town bypassed and instead opened up for people who want to shop in and engage with the town,” he said.

“Buttevant is another example. There’s huge problems with parking there because of the plethora of traffic coming through. We’ve been talking about this for 25 or 30 years, landowners and householders have been aware of it that long and are looking for final clarity on if their house is going to be affected.

“A farmer whose land the motorway is going to go through, he wants to know where to put his sheds — are they going to end up across a motorway from his house?”

On the potential for tolls, Mr O’Shea said: “The intention is that it is going to be tolled, and the reality is that the road will need maintenance going forward.

“There’s a huge section of motorway but also active travel, transport hubs where people can park their cars, the tolls will be invested back into maintenance and upkeep for providing those services.”

Ana Kelly, from West Cork and who studied at the University of Limerick, said that the journey on the current N20 can take as long as three hours, with Friday evenings being particularly busy.

“Sections of the road can be very dangerous, particularly the winding part between New Twopothouse and Buttevant, as well as the narrow winding parts after Charleville,” she said.

“There’s no comparison to the road from Cork to Dublin, sometimes I take the M8 to Mitchelstown and take a worse road to Limerick just to avoid the traffic in Cork city, Mallow, Buttevant, and Charleville.”

Another man, who lives in Cork but works in Limerick, said the current drive “takes ages”.

“I choose the time of day I leave carefully to avoid rush hour and school times. Traffic has notably increased in recent years as Limerick is booming with business,” he said.

“It’s dangerous in some parts. The biggest danger is when slow vehicles are overtaken recklessly.

“You’re going through rural areas, so you’re often stuck behind tractors/lorries for a long time before you can overtake safely.”

The plans for the motorway are on display at corklimerick.ie. and at the N/M20 Project Office in Dooradoyle, and at local authority offices in Cork city, Mallow, and Limerick city.

Plans will also be displayed at public events which will take place from 12pm to 8pm at: The Charleville Park Hotel on June 17; the Woodlands House Hotel, Adare on June 18; and the Mallow GAA Sports Complex on June 19.