Senior engineer doubts there will be change to Cork-Limerick route
The most senior roads engineer in Co Cork doubts there will be any change in the route previously chosen for the Cork-Limerick motorway (M20), despite consultants being paid €15m to revisit it.
Padraig Barrett, Cork County Council's director of roads, also said he is pushing to have the northern relief road in Mallow treated as a separate project after councillors expressed fears the M20 might not be completed until at least 2027.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) recently awarded a €15m contract to consultants to design a route between the two cities, even though one was drawn up in late 2010, before the government decided to mothball the project due to the recession.
Members of the council's northern division have questioned why the new design was costing so much when one was already gathering dust for the 100km motorway, expected to cost €900m to construct.
Cllr Ian Doyle said businesses and landowners along the route were also querying the amount being paid to the consultants.
A house you designed 10 years ago is now out of date, environmental and planning regulations have changed so we are legally obliged to do this (revisit the original plans).
"The route determined the last time was found to be the best route based on the information available. It's too early to say if it will be the same route, but I'd be surprised if it wasn't,” Mr Barrett told a meeting of the council's northern division in Mallow.
He said council engineers had recently met with the newly appointed consultants and provided them with all the original reports.
Mr Barrett said he hoped the chosen route would be known by the end of next year.
Cllr Gerard Murphy maintained that as most of the paperwork and research was already completed, the tender price given to the consultants should have been much lower.
“There was a substantial amount of work done on route selection previously. But it was specific for that route. That information was supplied to the consultants, so they have that bank of data which will be updated. They would have priced (their tender) knowing that information was available,” Mr Barrett said.
Cllr Gearoid Murphy said he hoped Mr Barrett was right about the route because there was concern the two cities would be linked by building a new motorway connecting to Limerick off the M8 at Cahir, Co Tipperary, which he said would be “an absolute disaster”. Cllr Gerard Murphy said that was “not an option” as it would have a serious economic consequences for the North Cork region.
He added he was glad to hear Mr Barrett say the council wants to plough ahead with building the Mallow relief road as an independent entity, as the town and the North Cork region could not wait until 2027 for it.
Mr Barrett said the council is preparing plans and an economic assessment aimed at convincing TII that it is vital the Mallow relief road is viewed as a separate project from the M20 and as such should be fast-tracked.
