No ‘silver bullet’ to solve congestion at Jack Lynch tunnel, according to TII 

TII said while there has been significant improvements to the €215m Dunkettle Interchange upgrade “there are physical limitations to what can be done with the infrastructure that’s in place” and “no silver bullet” fixes.

It said recent analysis of traffic volumes in the area shows they are now higher than pre-covid, adding:

It is vital for the long-term success of the Dunkettle interchange going forward, that more of the load is taken by public transport and active modes in moving people through the area.

TII listed some of the alternative transport modes which aid this, such as additional cycling routes and upgrades of the Cork – Midleton rail line.

TII revealed it has also discussed with Irish Rail the potential of the North Esk Freight Yard (near Glounthaune) to serve as “a transport hub” with full access for traffic to and from both the M8 (Cork  – Dublin) and N25 (Cork – Waterford) routes. However it didn’t reveal the results of these discussions.

The roads authority maintained gridlock has been significantly reduced in the area since the completion of the major upgrade.

However, many motorists coming from the East Cork side into the tunnel during the rush-hour claim they are experiencing delays. It has also been raised by county councillors from the East Cork region on several occasions with many of them experiencing the gridlock themselves.

The problem is lanes merging into just one for traffic heading into the tunnel’s southbound bore from the east.

The only physical way to remedy that would be a costly widening of the tunnel bore.

There are also significant problems with gridlock along the N25 at Castletmartyr and just east of Midleton at peak periods. In addition, plans to upgrade the N25 between Midleton and Carrigtwohill have been put on hold.

Many motorists, including Midleton-based Social Democrats councillor Liam Quaide, have questioned TII’s claim there has actually been a reduction in journey times from the East Cork area into the tunnel during the rush hour. 

He said this claim “doesn’t correspond to reality”.

“The merging lane prior to entering the tunnel is causing prolonged delays, except for some of those drivers who skip ahead and essentially leave one side of traffic queuing, and largely stationary. It’s leading to dangerous abrupt lane changes as drivers become frustrated with being passed out while waiting in line,” he said.

He said the population is rapidly expanding in East Cork and there comes a point when increasing road capacity just creates more congestion.

“We’ve seen this the world over, including the M50 in Dublin, which now resembles a carpark at peak times. What we need above all is large-scale public transport investment, such as the reopening of the Midleton – Cork railway,” Mr Quaide added.