Work to start on Kinsale walking and cycling scheme in 2027

Work on Kinsale’s walking and cycling scheme is set to begin next year, with Cork County Council planning to deliver the project in sections.

Detailed design is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, allowing the first construction phase to proceed in 2027.

The council’s director of services for roads and transport, Pádraig Barrett, said undertaking the entire scheme at once would not be practical for the town.

He told the Western Division committee that a section would be selected for construction next year and councillors would be briefed on the proposed works.

Mr Barrett said: 

“We’re not going to construction on all of it. That wouldn’t be feasible or possible or practical for the town.”

Fine Gael councillor Marie O’Sullivan welcomed the prospect of work starting in 2027.

She said it was good to see the active-travel project progressing and highlighted the importance of being sensitive to the timing of roadworks in Kinsale.

The council’s written report confirms that detailed design is ongoing and lists construction as starting next year. The first section to be built was not identified at the meeting.

Separately, the council is assessing bids for repairs to the Archdeacon Duggan Bridge on the R600 in Kinsale. The proposed works involve waterproofing the bridge deck and reinstating the affected surfaces.

A €500,000 Department of Transport allocation has been secured for the bridge project in 2026. Construction bids were returned on October 12, and council engineer Charlie McCarthy said the assessment report was being prepared.

Mr McCarthy said officials were considering when the works could start and were conscious of avoiding construction during the summer in Kinsale.

The council’s report says the second-stage review of the bridge contract documents has been completed, with departmental approval still being progressed.

Mr Barrett said councillors would receive a further update on the bridge timetable.

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