Cork East Fine Gael TD and Minister of State at the Department of Justice, David Stanton, has called for the construction of a relief road to alleviate traffic congestion on the N25 in Castlemartyr village.
Minister Stanton said: “There is an urgent need to examine the potential bypassing of the village of Castlemartyr by constructing a short relief road. I am informed that an average of 22,000 vehicles pass through the cross in the village every day and as a result the delays can be substantial in the morning and evenings, from all directions.”
“Also due to its location on the main route from Cork to Waterford city and the port of Rosslare a considerable volume of freight transport passes through the village, resulting in large tailbacks in both directions in the morning and evenings. This has compounded traffic congestion and substantially increased commuting times which are only set to get worse if Brexit goes ahead. A motorway from Cork to Waterford would solve the problems but such a project is not planned at present and even if it were it would take many years to develop.
“Local minor roads are being used by motorists to avoid Castlemartyr causing an unnecessary level of traffic through both Mogeely and Ladysbridge. I believe that a relief road, of just a few kilometres in length, would go a long way to eliminate traffic congestion in the village. To this end, I have been lobbying Transport Infrastructure Ireland and Minister for Transport, Shane Ross TD, seeking that such a solution be examined as a matter of urgency.
“I hope that any bypass proposals will be strongly considered. A bypass would ensure that there is sufficient road infrastructure to encourage development opportunities in Castlemartyr and to the east, especially in Killeagh and Youghal. Reducing the amount of traffic passing through the village will also improve road safety”, concluded Minister Stanton.
