SINN Féin TD for Cork North Central Thomas Gould will host two online public meetings next week regarding the proposed development of the M20.

The proposed M20 route that follows the N20 route is being strongly opposed by hundreds of Whitechurch residents who say the motorway could potentially rip communities apart and destroy family homes and farms.

Concerns are being voiced about the future plans for the M20 after a Green Party TD said the road “is not going to happen” in the next five years. The comments, made during a briefing by Deputy Ossian Smyth, were met with much concern on social media.

Works to narrow down the route options to connect Cork and Limerick are underway as part of Phase 2 of the N/M20 Cork to Limerick scheme.

The route for the motorway project connecting Cork and Limerick has been chosen. The road will be developed within the broad N20 corridor via Charleville and Mallow, however specific plans have yet to be set in stone.

“Selling the public a pup” is how the Green Party in Cork has described the Cork Limerick motorway debacle that has seen new information come to the surface in relation to the cost of the infrastructure.

Because of a lack of investment for ten years, development of roads in Cork has not kept pace with the population and the economy. This must be rectified, say Cork Chamber chief, Conor Healy, and CIF regional director, Conor O’Connell.

A COMPLETION date of 2027 is being targeted as the design contract for the Limerick to Cork motorway is signed. It is estimated the 80km motorway will see a journey time of 47 minutes between Blarney and Patickswell in Limerick.

THE Government has been urged to commit to a definitive timeframe on the Cork to Limerick motorway after Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) declined to say if it will be delivered by 2027.

TRANSPORT Infrastructure Ireland (TII) has reduced Cork County Council’s roads allocation by 2% for 2018 to €18. 7 million while the design of the M20 motorway will be led by Limerick City and County Council.

CORK politicians have rejected the suggestion by a professor of economics that the planned Cork-Limerick motorway is ‘exactly the wrong thing’ for the region.