28-07-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Independent
The Cork highway that's so bad even the county's roads boss has called it ‘substandard & unsafe'
A motion by Councillors Anthony Barry and Rory Cocking at this week's meeting of the local authority's Southern Division called for urgent funding for increased safety and traffic management measures on the section of the N25 between Midleton and Carrigtwohill.
Cllr Cocking said the section near Carrigtwohill is 'absolutely lethal' with trucks merging on to the road from a nearby quarry. 'And when these trucks are coming onto the road, it's forcing cars into the fast lane and the speed is horrendous there at the moment.'
The East Cork councillor said that with thousands of housing units proposed between Midleton and Carrigtwohill, 'this is only going to get worse. I believe the road is at capacity at the moment and a serious upgrade is required. Unfortunately, we've seen a lot of accidents in recent times. Some of them have had fatalities, unfortunately.'
Cllr Barry said that that section of the N25 has had 'fundamentally no improvement works since the day it was opened in 1968. It is a crazy situation from a health and safety level.'
'It poses serious questions for further development in East Cork. And we're talking about putting another 4,000 to 5,000 residential units down there. I think it throws into question any further development that can be put in place on the [rail] corridor until that basic infrastructure is put in place.'
Responding to the motion, Padraig Barrett, Director of Services in the council's Roads and Transportation section, said national funding for the Carrigtwohill to Midleton upgrade was suspended in 2022 and hasn't been restored since despite the best efforts of the council.
'From my own point of view, I would consider it one of my greatest disappointments in my role as Director of Services for roads in Cork County. It's a road that's carrying 36,000 vehicles a day, it's an absolutely essential project. It's a substandard, unsafe road.'
Mr Barrett said the council is hopeful that the revised National Development Plan announced this week with its €28bn budget for transport will provide funding for the upgrade.
The Cathaoirleach of the Southern Division, Cllr Ann Marie Ahern, called on central government to address the lack of funding for the N25 upgrade as a priority.
'I don't think we as a council can accept it going forward. This isn't a reflection of Cork County Council at all, this is actually a reflection of a Taoiseach, who's from Cork, who isn't acting for Cork, and particularly East Cork. And the ministers that are sitting up there, we haven't seen anything in ten years down in East Cork for the N25,' she said.
