New Limerick to Cork motorway to make for safer and faster travel

THE N/M20 Cork to Limerick motorway will be five times safer than the current N20 single carriageway and reduce intercity journey times on average by 30 minutes.

As the largest single Active Travel project to be undertaken in Ireland, the project will provide up to 100 kilometres of safe, shared Active Travel pathways and cycle tracks connecting from Patrickswell to Blarney and encourage walking and cycling for work, school, and leisure, and reducing transport emissions.

Details were published this week with confirmation of a dual carriageway M20 motorway. This included the developing design of the motorway, up to 100km of Active Travel infrastructure, transport hubs, and freight hub, along with recommended demand management measures, enhanced public transport, and environmental integration for the project.

The N/M20 Cork to Limerick Project is an investment priority for the government’s National Development Plan.

Limerick City and County Council, on behalf of Cork County Council and Cork City Council, will now submit a planning application for the project in 2025, subject to government approval.

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The approach to the design of the N/M20 project is unique in Irish terms. It will not only address safety deficiencies on the existing N20, but introduce a suite of sustainable transport options which combined make the project highly innovative.

The N/M20 transport solution will significantly enhance safety and journey time reliability for all transport users, improve the health and wellbeing of the bypassed communities, support regional and local economic growth, and implement transport decarbonisation measures from the government’s Climate Action Plan.

According to the project team, the M20 motorway, with a 120km/h speed limit, will be five times safer than the current N20 single carriageway and reduce intercity journey time on average by 30 minutes.

As the largest single Active Travel project to be undertaken in Ireland, the project will provide up to 100km of safe, shared pathways – including walkways and cycle tracks, connecting from Blarney to Patrickswell to encourage sustainable transport, promote healthier lifestyles, and reduce transport emissions.

The project team also revealed the location of transport hubs identified for Croom, Bruree, Charleville, Buttevant, Mallow, Mourneabbey, and Rathduff. These hubs will feature park and ride facilities for public transport, park and share, EV charging, and will be connected to local communities with the new active travel network.

Further information is available at corklimerick.ie.

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