Motorists advised to expect delays in Cork due to city quay's four-month closure

Motorists in Cork are advised to expect long-term traffic disruption in the city centre as Union Quay will be closed for a term of four months to facilitate ongoing works.

Cork City Council has announced that Union Quay, from its junction with Copley Street to its junction with South Terrace along the R610, will be fully closed to public traffic from now until midnight on August 28.

The closure comes as part of the Morrison’s Island Flood Defence project, with flood defence upgrades, realm improvements and bridge extension works to Trinity Bridge currently underway.

Trinity Bridge will also be closed to pedestrians for the duration of the works, with alternative crossings available via Parliament Bridge and Parnell Bridge.

Once completed, the Morrison’s Island Flood Defence project will deliver significant upgrades along Morrison’s Quay and Fr Matthew Quay, including an upgraded streetscape, a wide riverside walkway, a new plaza at the eastern end of the South Mall and a redesigned Trinity Bridge.

Traffic flow within Morrison’s Island will be changed to one-way system, travelling in a clockwise direction, with the eastern end designated as a pedestrian-only area.

To facilitate the proposed riverside walkway, the existing right-angle parking along the quays will be removed and replaced with parallel parking and ground levels along both quays will be carefully re-graded to ensure that the solid element of the parapets will not hinder river views.

Significant remedial works will also be carried out on the existing quay walls to ensure their future integrity, which will include cleaning, re-pointing and grouting along with construction of a reinforced concrete backing wall.

For more information on the project, visit: https://www.corkcity.ie/.