Motorists in Cork City are set to face a lengthy 20km diversion for Dunkettle Interchange works. Engineers working on the Dunkettle project will close a section of the westbound N25/N8 approaches to the Dunkettle roundabout on Friday evening until at least 9pm on Saturday to upgrade the waterproofing on two new structures. The closure means that city-bound or M8-bound traffic coming from the east faces a lengthy 12km diversion via the Jack Lynch Tunnel, along the N40 to the Kinsale Road roundabout and the South City link road to get to the city centre, with motorists travelling north facing another 8km trip along the Lower Glanmire Road and Tivoli towards Glanmire. This is the second major road closure in Cork following the overnight closure of a section of the South Ring Road when a 650-tonne crane operated by East Cork Crane Hire hoisted the 51-tonne main section of a new pedestrian and cycle bridge into place over the N40. The bridge will be finished by autumn 2022, and the public process for choosing its name continues to generate debate ahead of next week’s deadline for submissions.
The Lord Mayor, Cllr Deirdre Forde, has urged people to get involved in the city council’s naming process and get their submissions in by Friday’s deadline. The main contractor for the bridge construction, Jons Civil Engineering Company Limited, began construction on site in July 2022, and works are continuing on the approach ramps and steps to the bridge and on the 4m-wide cycle pathway from the Donkey Field in Grange through to the southern approach to the bridge. The bridge, funded by the National Transport Authority, will measure 63 metres in length and the adjoining 1km-long pathway will, once opened, link Grange and Frankfield on the southern side of the N40 to Tramore Valley Park on the northern side. Completed application forms with naming suggestions can be submitted on https://consult.corkcity.ie, by post marked “Grange to Tramore Valley Park Bridge Naming” to Barbara Creed, Administrative Officer, Infrastructure Development, City Hall, Cork, T12 T997, or by e-mail to barbara_creed@corkcity.ie.
