Plans to build a new off-road cycle route that will bridge a gap in cycling infrastructure across Dublin Bay have been revealed.
The 1.4 kilometre route will link cyclists from the Tolka river estuary opposite Clontarf to the Liffey quayside, and enable Dublin City Council to complete the Sutton to Sandycove cycleway.
Dublin Port will apply to the city council for permission for the cycle route next April, which will run within port lands opposite the access road for the Dublin Port Tunnel known as East Wall Road, according to the Irish Times.
Dublin Port said work is due to begin on the route in September of next year, with the track expected to open by the end of 2022.
It’s a new stretch of public realm, it’s not just a footpath and cycleway
Chief executive of Dublin Port, Eamonn O'Reilly, said the route will be more than just a cycleway.
“It’s a new stretch of public realm, it’s not just a footpath and cycleway,” he said.
“It’s up to 12 metres wide, which will... turn East Wall Road I guess into East Wall boulevard is how I would think of it.
“Because we’re going to put cycle paths and footpaths on it, it also provides the potential for a link from the northside to the southside,” Mr O’Reilly said.
Mr O’Reilly said the cycleway will provide a solution to “probably the most hostile stretch of urban roadway in the city.”
“It’s noisy, dusty and not anywhere you would currently want to walk or cycle. The Liffey-Tolka Project will see us complete a brand new area of public realm that will be a much more pleasant place to move through,” he said.
