Keeping cars on Dublin’s quays to add €7.6m to planned changes

— Boardwalks needed due to opposition to removing cars from sections of quays.

Planned boardwalks on the proposed new Liffey Cycle Route could cost up to €7.6 million extra on a project which was expected to cost between €15-20 million before the boardwalks were added — meaning the total for the project could be heading towards €30 million.

The boardwalks are needed to make space to keep cars on the quays while also providing space for cycling and buses — a previous option removed cars from a section of the quays but was shot down due to opposition.

As we reported in 2017, Dublin City Council said that around 436 metres of boardwalks on a previous option for the project could cost €2.5 to €3 million extra.

In the new Liffey Cycle Route, proposed by the National Transport Authority after long delays, the amount of boardwalks has more than doubled to around 1,110 metres which brings the cost up to €7,600,000.

The project is currently out to public consultation until Thursday June 6 — the boardwalks are expected to complicate the planning process with ministerial approval likely needed for a foreshore licence.

The interaction between the boardwalks and bridges may also cause issues. While the council will be avoiding changing the Mellowes Bridge, the draft plan includes “minor alterations to the Ha’penny Bridge wing walls” and changes to the steel sides of the James Joyce Bridge.

IMAGE: Locations of planned new sections of boardwalks in blue, and previously proposed new sections in yellow.

Drawings showing the proposed sections of boardwalks:


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8 comments

  1. The Liffey cycle-route should be sold as a road upgrade,instead of a cycle-route, and then money would be no object.

    €750 million for ring-road around Galway…… sure, that’s grand so it is Ted.

    Reply
  2. Seems good value compared to the 100 million being spent of improving a roundabout in Cork (Dunkettle interchange)

    Reply
  3. It’s important to remember, the additional cost is to deliver a solution that works for all stakeholders. It ensures busses still have a direct route along the quays, and general traffic is not routed through residential areas of the city.

    If we want a solution that works for most of us, we need to be prepared to invest more. The result is much better VALUE for money.

    Reply
    • Paris:

      — Closes section of lower riverbank motorway to cars, opens it to city life
      — Then reduces car space on inner route by adding two-way cycle path
      — Then reduces car space on upper river bank by adding two-way cycle path
      — Results positive, car traffic is reduced

      Dublin:

      — Cannot reduce even one lane of motor traffic

      Reply

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