Final part of Cork motorway opens

The Taosieach has opened the last section of the Dublin to Cork motorway today.

The new section will reduce the journey time from Dublin’s Red Cow roundabout to Cork’s Dunkettle Interchange from about three hours to two hours 20 minutes.

At about two hours 50 minutes city centre to city centre on average, the travel time now compares with Iarnród Éireann’s advertised intercity services between Dublin and Cork, which range from about two hours 45 minutes to three hours 15 minutes.

It also compares with the 7.30am Aircoach service from Cork city which arrives at Dublin airport at 10.50 am.

Morning Ryanair and Aer Arran flights from Cork to Dublin are scheduled to take 50 and 55 minutes respectively. Considering a check-in time of at least one hour before flights, travelling by road will from today also be comparable to travelling by air.

It is a long way from the late 1970s or 1980s when, according to the AA, the average journey time between Dublin and Cork was between four and 30 minutes and five hours.

The main Dublin to Cork road, the T6, then went via Kilkenny, which was slightly longer than today’s M8.

Developed at a cost of €2.6 billion, the motorway from Dublin to Cork first takes the N7/M7 southwest from Dublin, via Co Kildare to Portlaoise, Co Laois.

From there it swings south to become the M8 and continues through Co Tipperary to Co Cork and the Dunkettle Interchange, from where it becomes the N8 into Cork City.

The route, at 253km, is the longest of five major inter-urban routes designed to link Dublin with the regional cities and the Border.

The other routes link Dublin to Galway, Limerick, Waterford and northwest of Dundalk on the Border with Northern Ireland.

Just 218km of the Dublin to Cork route is to be officially designated motorway, stretching from the Dunkettle Interchange to Naas in Co Kildare. From there to Dublin’s Red Cow Roundabout there are 20km of triple-carriageway on the N7, followed by about eight kilometres of the N7 to Dublin city centre.

The distance from Cork city to the Dunkettle Interchange is about four kilometres. The total distance city centre to city centre is about 253 kilometres.

At about 238km of motorway and high-grade triple-carriageway, the cost of the upgrade works out at almost €11 million per kilometre.

This compares with €40 million per kilometre for the Luas extension to Cherrywood, which is due to open in October.

It also compares with a cost of less than €2 million per kilometre for the reopening the Western Rail Corridor between Ennis, Co Clare, and Athenry, Co Galway.

The cost of Metro North, assuming a price tag of €5 billion, is €277 million per kilometre.

The opening of the final section from Portlaoise to Cullahill in Co Laois will bypass the commuter towns of Abbeyleix, Durrow and Cullahill.

The 40km Y-shaped section will take Cork-bound traffic from the existing Portlaoise bypass to the existing M8 at Cullahill.

It will also take Limerick-bound traffic from the Portlaoise bypass to Castletown, where remaining sections of the M7 Limerick motorway are under construction.

A toll plaza is to be installed, taking in traffic on both the Limerick and Cork routes and is expected to net millions on the new route alone.

The toll will be 90 cents for a motorbike, rising to €5.70 for heavy goods vehicles. Passenger cars are to be charged €1.80.

Coining It: Motorway Fees

Motorists travelling through the new M7/M8 junction will be asked to pay a toll of €1.80 per car, rising to €5.70 for trucks, to access the newly completed motorway between Dublin and Cork.

Motorists travelling through the same junction to and from Limerick will have to pay the toll – with the Limerick part of the motorway running out after 10km.

From today, motorists heading in the Cork direction will pass the Portlaoise junction and travel for 17km along the new road to the plaza. After the plaza, they will swing south for 14km to link up with the existing M8 to Cork.

Motorists heading in the Limerick direction will pass the Portlaoise junction and travel for 17km along the new road in a southwesterly direction to the plaza. From there, they will travel on 10km of motorway before returning to the old N7 close to Borris-in-Ossory.

But as the new toll plaza serves the M7 and M8, all traffic using the junction must pay. An NRA spokesman acknowledged the anomaly, but said the Limerick motorway was due to be completed by this October.