June 2025 Update

N/M20 Cork to Limerick – Public Update June 2025

Welcome to the N/M20 Cork to Limerick Project Update. It provides detailed, specific information on the layout and functioning of the project. It also provides an indication of the lands anticipated to be required by the project which at this stage covers lands that are needed on a temporary and permanent basis.

This update is being provided in advance of the submission of the Business Case for the project to the Government by the end of this year. The Business Case will undergo Departmental and external review and subject to its approval, a planning application for the project will be submitted to An Bord Pleanála (ABP) in 2026.

From the outset, the Project Team has engaged in proactive communications with householders, landowners, farmers along, adjacent to and beyond the motorway route, statutory bodies and interest groups. Limerick City and County Council provided two previous comprehensive public updates in November 2023 and June 2024.

The Project Team has hosted over 1,000 face to face or online meetings with potentially impacted land and property owners outlining the developing designs and the mitigating measures proposed. Ongoing engagement has influenced the design of this multimodal transport project and has reduced or minimised impacts as far as possible.

Further engagement will continue throughout the remainder of this phase and the Project Team wishes to thank all those individuals, stakeholders and representative organisations who have engaged with them.

The Project in Brief

The N/M20 Project is a key infrastructural priority in the National Development Plan as part of Project Ireland 2040 and will:

Replace one of the most dangerous roads in Ireland providing a road five times safer than the existing single carriageway,
Including one of Ireland’s largest single Active Travel Network, creating safe and inclusive walking and cycling options for all users,
Provide safer, shorter and more reliable journey times for cars, HGVs and buses,
Deliver substantial community, business and environmental gains in towns and villages along the route through the significant reduction in traffic volumes and congestion,
Facilitate economic development through improved connectivity between Ireland’s second and third largest cities and along the Atlantic Economic Corridor,
Encourage sustainable transport choices through seven Transport Hubs and one Freight Hub along the route providing public transport and active travel connectivity thereby supporting Ireland’s climate action plan.

Developing Design

For the past year, the Project Team has been developing the design and are now completing the associated environment-based surveys. The design continues to be developed and may be subject to further change as Phase 3 progresses. Subject to Government approval, the planning submission will be made to An Bord Pleanála (ABP) next year. This will include the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR), Natura Impact Statement (NIS) and the Motorway Order (MO).

The Interactive mapping, available on the project website, www.corklimerick.ie, has been updated. It now presents the engineering plan of the developing design, including:

The Indicative Development Boundary including temporary works areas.
Mainline, Junctions, and Side Roads including Earthworks slopes,
Indicative Emergency Access Provision which will be gated and will provide access to the motorway for emergency services in the event of a serious incident or road closure,
Structure locations including overbridges, underbridges, culverts and underpasses,
Active Travel, comprising facilities for walking, wheeling and cycling,
Layout of the Freight Hub which provides rest area and facilities for drivers of Heavy Goods Vehicles, and Transport Hubs which provide ‘park and share’ facilities and connections with the bus network for car users and Active Travel users. All of the hubs will provide EV charging facilities,
Principal Accommodation Works within the indicative development boundary including potential accommodation structures and access roads,
Drainage Attenuation Ponds which are an integral part of the Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and are designed to reduce the peak flow of stormwater runoff, prevent flooding and treat water,
Water Course Diversions where a watercourse is realigned to facilitate the project and for environmental benefits,
Construction Compound Locations which will be temporary facilities during the construction phase with site offices, welfare facilities, staff parking and storage,
Material Extraction Areas, providing suitable construction materials via excavation, which may be replaced in part by surplus material from elsewhere on the site,
Material Reuse Areas, providing suitable space for the placement of surplus material, and
Biodiversity Enhancement Areas which aim to create or improve wildlife habitats along the project.

Active Travel

The project will deliver approximately 100 kilometres of transformative ‘shared use active travel facility (a cycle track or cycleway that is provided for people walking, wheeling and cycling)’, connecting the communities of Blarney, Rathduff, Mallow, New Twopothouse, Buttevant, Ballyhea, Charleville, Bruree, Banogue, Croom and Patrickswell. The project focus is on enhancing connectivity to local communities that are adjacent to the corridor.

Since the last public update, the active travel routes have been further refined to show more detailed positioning with respect to the adjacent road, with connections now also provided to better demonstrate how the south to north N/M20 corridor ‘spine’ will link into dozens of communities via existing local roads. The previous ‘Concept’ terminology has evolved to now display the specific type of active travel facility proposed; either a shared use facility (typically 3 metres wide), a cycle track, or a footway with an adjacent on-road cycling provision.

As part of the N/M20 project, the following is proposed:

93km of shared use facility (for all people walking, wheeling and cycling), of which:
– 65km is online separate to but alongside/parallel to the motorway corridor.
– 28km being offline primarily along the existing N20 corridor.
2km of dedicated cycle track, and
7km of footways / footpaths.

Walkers, cyclists and other mobility users on these new facilities will be a mix of commuter / utility trip-makers, tourists and leisure users who may choose to use the shared use active travel facility as part of a circular route.
The facility will typically be positioned as depicted in the below graphics; either parallel to the new Motorway (online) or alongside a nearby road (offline) such as the existing N20 corridor (which will be declassified).

Figure 1: Online Active Travel alongside Motorway

Figure 2: Offline Active Travel alongside road (incl. declassified N20)

Separately, Transport Infrastructure Ireland along with the relevant local authorities is progressing the planning and design of a number of Greenway and Active Travel Projects in the region. The N/M20 Project will continue to coordinate with these Projects in relation to the development of the N/M20 active travel facilities to ensure an integrated network.

Transport Hubs

Transport Hubs are locations where people can change mode and integrate with active travel, public transport and car sharing. These locations will provide charging points for cars and bikes and connections to active travel and public transport. The hubs aim to provide community benefits and travel choice to residents.

The project aims to deliver seven Transport Hubs, with the following expected infrastructure, located from south to north:

Rathduff – 30 car parking spaces and 20 bike parking spaces,
Mourneabbey – 80 car parking spaces and 40 bike parking spaces,
Mallow – 30 car parking spaces and 40 bike parking spaces,
Buttevant – 30 car parking spaces and 20 bike parking spaces,
Charleville – Revised location following public feedback – 80 car parking spaces and 40 bike parking spaces,
Bruree – 30 car parking spaces and 20 bike parking spaces, and
Croom – 30 car parking spaces and 20 bike parking spaces.

These are hubs where a range of shared travel options – including, for example, shared bike scheme, electric bikes, car sharing or e-car charging – come together and can be accessed in one place by people who need them. New bus stops are provided at each Transport Hub to provide park and ride opportunities.

Mallow Freight Hub

The N20 is one of Ireland’s busiest routes for HGV traffic. Mallow has been selected as the location for a dedicated freight hub due to its strategic position within the broader N/M20 project area.

It will provide 30 HGV parking spaces, rest and welfare facilities for drivers, addressing driver safety factors and will thereby meet EU requirements. EV charging facilities will support the transition to e-freight and contribute to the achievement of climate objectives.

Approximately midway between the key port locations of the Port of Foynes and Ringaskiddy (circa 130km apart), Mallow offers an ideal logistical advantage, facilitating efficient freight movement along this critical corridor with connections to the N72 and N73. Its inclusion in the N/M20 Project ensures the seamless integration with existing and planned infrastructure, maximising the hub’s connectivity and utility for national and international freight transport.

The overall project is anticipated to deliver significant reductions in travel times across the network for both freight and passenger traffic. By enhancing road capacity, improving alignments, and reducing congestion points in towns and villages, the project will streamline freight and passenger travel times between major economic hubs.

Demand Management

Demand Management in transport projects is the implementation of measures which seek to change travel demand patterns. The N/M20 Project is implementing a range of demand management measures that will help reduce transport emissions and support the health, safety and wellbeing of people and communities along the transport corridor.

For the declassified N20 where the traffic volumes will be significantly reduced, the following demand measures will be implemented:

Speed limit will be reduced,
Road cross section will be reduced and standardised,
A segregated active travel facility will be constructed along the road,
Safe crossing facilities for vulnerable road users will be provided,
New bus stops at the seven transport hubs will be provided, and
Urban realm projects within the communities will be supported with the reduction of traffic.

These demand management measures will change the nature of the road from a high speed, busy national road to a safer lower speed road for local journeys with facilities for all modes of transport, including walking and cycling. These measures will significantly reduce noise levels and improve air quality for the people and communities along the declassified N20. They will also encourage modal shift towards more sustainable transport, reducing transport emissions and providing health benefits with active travel.

For the new M20 motorway, the following demand management measures are being implemented:

Restricted access to the Motorway at the nine strategic junctions,
Provision of seven transport hubs and a freight hub, and
Recommendation for distance based barrier free tolling, where users pay on the basis of distance travelled on the new M20.

These demand management measures will help segregate local traffic from strategic national traffic, improving road safety. They will encourage sustainable transport options with park and ride and park and share facilities at the transport hubs. The freight hub will provide safe rest areas for HGV drivers.

In combination, these demand management measures will improve safety, encourage sustainable transport, encourage transition to zero emission vehicles, and reduce transport emissions, thus supporting key actions from the Climate Action Plan.

Environment

Environmental considerations remain at the forefront of the project decision-making process.

Since the June 2024 public update, the environmental team which has wide ranging expertise across the various disciplines, has undertaken multifaceted activities which encompass field surveys, archaeological excavations and interactions with the design team.

Figure 3: Environmental Disciplines

Issues as diverse as ecology and archaeology, air and water quality, hydrogeology, terrestrial and aquatic habitats, climate change, amongst others, have been examined.

Landowners have continued to provide ongoing access to their lands for our environmental walkovers, for site investigation (resistivity, magnetometry, exploratory boreholes, trial pits, watercourses and topographical surveys) and our archaeological test trenching.

Aquatic Ecology and Watercourse Crossing Structures

Watercourses have been subject to a wide range of surveys over the past five years including detailed instream ecological and topographical surveys to support the EIAR process and, importantly, to underpin the design of permanent watercourse crossing structures. The most sensitive watercourses including those in or near Special Area of Conservation (SAC) rivers will be bridged using clear-span structures with no instream footprint. Where culverts are required, these will be designed to ensure no significant effects on aquatic ecological sensitivities (fish migration in particular) and no significant effects on key quality elements under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) in terms of riverine hydrology, morphology and continuity. The topographical watercourse surveys have provided site-specific empirical data to establish the hydrological requirements for watercourse crossings to meet both the requirements of the WFD and OPW flood design standards.

Archaeology and Architectural Heritage

To date a qualitative and quantitative assessment has taken place to inform the Constraints and Option Selection reporting for the project. A LiDAR survey (Light Detection and Ranging) which is a method to ‘see through’ vegetation and other surface cover to detect archaeological structures and features was undertaken in 2022. A number of geophysical surveys have taken place in order to inform the design of the preferred option, these are non-invasive surveys used to detect and map subsurface features of potential archaeological interest. Targeted test excavation and metal detection to inform the cultural heritage impact assessment of the proposed project, as well as archaeological monitoring of planned geotechnical Site Investigations (SI) work in specific locations along the proposed project that are considered to be archaeologically sensitive took place in 2024. In addition to these surveys, field walks and inspections are ongoing throughout the project area. These surveys and inspections along with documentary, map and aerial imagery evidence will inform the cultural heritage assessment.

With the site investigation, archaeological and topographical survey works nearing completion, further targeted non-intrusive surveys will be required until the completion of phase 3. This work will ensure that the environmental teams have robust current data to develop their environmental mitigation measures.

The Project Team is continuing to monitor changes in the legislative requirements, environmental assessment processes and guidance including, but not limited to, our understanding of climate change (in particular its adaptive and mitigatory needs) and the necessity for protection of biodiversity.

The Environmental Impact Assessment Report, which will provide details of the findings from these surveys and assessments, will be published and submitted to An Bord Pleanála when the project is published.

Biodiversity Enhancement Areas

Taking on board the Government, Local Authority and Transport Infrastructure Ireland legislation and policy on Biodiversity, the project is actively promoting Biodiversity Enhancement. Following an assessment of the impact the project will have on the existing environment, the biodiversity value of replacement and additional planting will be maximised. Thousands of acres will be planted with native tree species, bushes, hedgerows, shrubs and grasslands. This will include enhanced fringe areas which will offer protection to Barn Owls from vehicle strikes, maximise the biodiversity mix of our landscaping and look at enhancing areas next to the project with comprehensive replanting proposals to rehabilitate our material reuse areas.

Earthworks Management during Construction

Due to the natural landscape in the region, the Motorway will produce a surplus of earthworks material in the south and a deficit in the north of the project during construction.

To mitigate carbon emission, noise and air pollution impacts of construction traffic, a series of material reuse areas (MRA’s) and material extraction areas (MEA’s) will be created along the extent of the project. In the south these will primarily be MRA’s and MEA’s in the north. These sites are located close to and will be directly accessed from within the indicative development boundary.

Once the works are completed it is intended that the MRA’s and the MEA’s will be carefully planted in accordance with a landscaping plan to create biodiversity areas.

Next Steps

Following this project update the Project Team will facilitate extensive consultation with property, land owners and other key stakeholders. The business case will undergo Departmental and external review and subject to its approval, a planning application for the project will be submitted to An Bord Pleanála in 2026. In accordance with the Government’s Infrastructure Guidelines (previously known as the Public Spending Code), the preliminary business case is reviewed through an External Assurance Process (EAP) prior to submission to the Major Projects Advisory Group (MPAG) to consider the major public investment proposal. The Department of Transport would then seek Government consent through Cabinet approval.

Figure 4: TII Phases

Subject to this Government Approval, the statutory documents including the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR), Natura Impact Statement (NIS) and the Motorway Order (MO) would then be submitted to An Bord Pleanála by Limerick City and County Council as the lead authority. This would commence the formal statutory planning process (Phase 4).

The Project Team will continue to keep the property owners and wider public informed as we progress through these next steps toward project delivery. We thank the public for their continued support and look forward to delivering this critical infrastructure project.