Closures at Cork's Jack Lynch Tunnel down significantly this year

Overnight closures of the Jack Lynch Tunnel are down 79% during the first nine months of 2025 against the whole of last year, figures released to Cork TDs show.

Between January and the end of September, the tunnel, which is one of Cork’s most critical pieces of road infrastructure, closed 17 times.

Last year, the tunnel was closed a total of 82 times, meaning it was fully or partially closed overnight for 23% of 2024.

So far this year, it was fully or partially closed overnight for 5% of the time, marking a 79% decrease in closures.

A spokesperson for TII told The Echo that scheduled closures of the tunnel were necessary for a range of essential activities.

They instanced those activities as including: routine and corrective maintenance; emergency preparedness exercises; repairs following incidents or asset damage for any reason, including large debris removal; mandatory replacement of end-of-life complex electronic infrastructure and control systems; and co-ordination with major infrastructure projects, such as the Dunkettle Interchange upgrade project.

“I can also confirm that TII seeks to sequence works to maximise efficiency and minimise disruption, particularly in cases where multiple workstreams can be delivered within a single closure window,” they said.

“Following the completion of substantial upgrade works in the tunnel towards the end of Q1 2025, the number of closures has now reduced significantly, reflecting the transition from intensive renewal activity to routine maintenance.”

They added that there would be a small number of standard maintenance closures between now and year’s end, but said it should not be anywhere near levels experienced in 2024. According to figures released to Pádraig O’Sullivan, Fianna Fáil TD for Cork North Central, and Séamus McGrath, Fianna Fáil TD for Cork South Central, the tunnel closed nine times in 2020, 60 times in 2021, 35 times in 2022, and 39 times in 2023.

Mr O’Sullivan said it was encouraging to see such a significant drop in closures so far this year.

“While it is likely that the number will rise slightly before the end of the year, it is still a clear improvement compared to last year,” he said.

“I also welcome TII’s efforts to sequence works in a way that maximises efficiency and minimises disruption, particularly where multiple workstreams can be delivered within a single closure window.

“While routine maintenance is essential, it’s equally important to strike a balance and limit the disruption caused to commuters wherever possible.” Mr McGrath said TII had used a traffic app during the construction of the Dunkettle Interchange upgrade project, which had proven very successful.

“TII has told me they discontinued use of the app when that construction phase was completed, but I am asking them to consider reinstate it, as it provided up-to-date information for drivers, and it would be very helpful in keeping people informed in real-time in the case of maintenance works and any incidents,” he said.