The full inbound cycle path on the Clontarf to City Centre project is to be opened by the end of November, Dublin City Council has said.
It was thought that the route would be opened inbound by the end of September but this was delayed due to more complicated works at a few spots such as outside the CIE HQ at Connolly Station.
Construction started at the start of 2022 and council management said in the latest update to councillors that the project is due to be finished in Q2 2024.
In March 2022, the council said in a leaflet that the project had an “expected completion date of December 2022” but when the construction of the project was announced at the start of 2022, “early 2024” was mentioned.
Around 1.5km of the route inbound is already opened in sections and work is now ongoing on large sections of the outbound cycle path and other elements on that side of the road including a full rebuild of the footpath, new crossings, water main replacement, new greenery and public space improvements. The full carriageway will also be resurfaced.
Richard Shakespeare, the council’s chief executive, in an update to councillors, said: “In recent weeks works continue to progress all along the outbound side of the Scheme from Talbot Street all the way to Alfie Byrne Road junction. 100+ Operatives are distributed along the 2.7km Scheme and continue to construct new footways, cycle-track, installation of new kerbing, watermains, public lighting ducting and columns and surface water drainage.”
“Currently there is 1,500m of cycle-track opened on the inbound side. Works continue in order to prepare for the opening of the remaining 1,200m of inbound cycle-track which is planned to be opened at the end of November,” he said.
The update added: “The new retaining wall which is required adjacent to CIE HQ building on Amiens Street is
progressing well. In recent weeks Stone Masons have completed the mixed rubble wall to the face of the RC wall and the railing specialist is finalising details prior to reinstating the heritage railings which were removed and now required to be replaced on top of the new realigned wall.”
The council said that extensive road reconstruction works are progressing well in recent weeks and that works are planned for every available weekend in the run-up to ‘Operation Open City’.
It said that typically 36 hours is worked by the crews over the course of a typical weekend to excavate the existing roadway, reconstruct it and have it ready to reopen to traffic on Sunday evening. The council said that some full road reconstruction work started around now, such as the Five Lamps junction, will only see its finial surface to be placed in Spring 2024 when the weather improves.
Typical that the photo has a car illegally driving there
Multiple problems are still to be addressed, such as, lampposts in the middle of the cycle lane, chaos at entrances to car parks, e.g., Westwood. Looking forward to being pleasantly surprised.
The wait time for a light when going southbound at the junction with Alfie Byrne road is abysmal. Needs to improve or people will just ignore it and conflicts will arise.