Skip to main content

New Irish motorway project planned

A new Irish motorway project is being planned.
By MJ Woof March 6, 2020 Read time: 1 min
Ireland’s new motorway connection will link Cork with Limerick – image © courtesy of Cafebeanz Company, Dreamstime.com

A new motorway project is being planned in Ireland, with its construction expected to cost €1 billion. The 100km route will connect Ireland’s second largest city, Cork, with the city of Limerick. The intended alignment for the motorway runs alongside the existing N20, which runs through Blarney, Mallow and Charleville. The new motorway forms part of the Project Ireland 2040 programme of infrastructure works.

Building the new motorway is expected to improve road safety along the route, reducing the number of crashes. The project will also help to reduce journey times and develop the Atlantic Economic Corridor.

Spending on the project to date has reached €35 million, although the project was put on hold in 2011. A public consultation will be held for the project in 2020.

Related Content

  • Ireland’s €2 billion motorway linking Cork and Limerick
    July 5, 2024
    Ireland is planning €2 billion motorway linking Cork and Limerick
  • Irish Cork-Limerick road upgrade worth €1.4 billion proposed
    December 11, 2023
    A €1.4 billion upgrade for Ireland’s Cork-Limerick road has been proposed.
  • EIB backing Irish motorway link
    April 30, 2014
    The European Investment Bank (EIB) is providing financial backing worth €144 million for the new M17/M18 Gort-Tuam motorway project. The M17/M18 Gort to Tuam PPP Scheme is situated in the west of Ireland and will be constructed as a four lane motorway that will replace the existing N17/N18 roads. This new motorway will reduce journey times by around 20 minutes and has an overall cost estimated at €550 million. Construction work will start during this year and this is the second transport PPP to be signed un
  • Ireland's budgert cuts impact on road projects
    May 14, 2012
    Ireland’s government is undergoing a period of belt-tightening, with a string of budget cuts that will directly impact on the transport sector. The country was in the process of spending heavily on its infrastructure but with the tough economic climate it is now facing, a number of road projects are among those facing the axe. The Irish government is slashing its infrastructure spending from €39.6 billion to €22.9 billion between now and 2013. This looks likely to result in 40 road projects, including hig