South Dublin County Council is building its area’s last significant urban section of the Dodder Greenway route.
While further delays have plagued some sections of the eastern half of the Dodder Greenway, significant progress can already be seen on the last part of the western section of the route (see photos below).
The greenway route will be on segregated paths along the road and away from the river for around 600 metres along parts of Firhouse Road and Butterfield Avenue, between Kilvere and Knocklyon Road. The project extends around another 240 metres from the junction with Knocklyon to the junction of Spawell, beside the Dodder Valley Car Park.
The greenway is not routed along the river at this section because of the confined and twisting nature of the river and the houses and gardens backing onto the river bank.
The section which is now under construction is shown on the map below in red:
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The project will link to South Dublin County Council’s growing network of routes that connect to the Dodder Greenway in its areas, and it will also connect to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council’s Braemor Road route in Rathfarnham, which links towards Dundrum.
At its west end, the urban Dodder Greenway currently starts at Firhouse Road West, where it connects to the D24 Neighbourhood Cycle Network and onto other routes.
Once the new link is finished, it means there will be a continuous section of 7.6km from Firhouse Road West to Ely’s Arch / Orwell Park. A 400m section, mainly in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council’s area, is then planned as a quick build project to extend the route onto Orwell Road.
Images thanks to reader Chris M.
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From Orwell Road, if you can dismount and use steps at a bridge, it is possible to get to Dartry Park via Orwell Walk. There is no plan for a new bridge at present.
From Dartry Park, Dublin City Council is planning a quicker build section along Milltown Road from Dodder Walk to Dundrum Road, but the progress of getting this and other sections in Dublin City up and running has been slower than expected, and construction is only due to start next year at the earliest.
The same is the case for a Dublin City section between Donnybrook Road to Clonskeagh Road, which, according to the council’s website, is due to start in Q2 2025.
Dublin City Council had planned to start a short quick build section from Beatty’s Avenue to Herbert Park by the end of the year, but it’s unclear if work will go ahead before the new year.
The design of the most eastern quick build section from Fitzwilliam Quay to Londonbridge Road has been finished since the start of 2024, but, unlike other project pages, the council’s website has no construction date listed for this section of the route. Instead the page notes: “Construction commencement subject to funding confirmation.”
I’ve cycled past there a few times recently in the evening and it’s scary with being in fast moving traffic without any interim measure for cyclists safety and worse in the meantime until it’s finished.
It’s a pity too that the greenway has no lighting so it’s very intimidating to use in the winter evenings around that section, as I wanted a quiet route and ended up using the path instead for safety.
I’m using Templeogue road in the meantime. you can leave the Dodder at Templeogue and return back to it at the Weir, or vice versa if heading eastwards.