Notice: Carrigrohane Rd to Model Farm Rd Walkway closed 15th March to late April 2021

 

The short walkway between the Lee Fields car park and the Model Farm Road is closing for a few weeks from Monday the 15th of March 2021. This is a popular route with many walkers, runners and cyclists.

 The walkway is shown above in Red and comes out on the Model Farm Road near the Tennis Village.

 Just take it into account if you are planning a run.

New walkway at Dunkettle Interchange opens - Nov 2020

In 2019, I had a post up about the new proposed walkway for the Dunkettle Interchange. See photo above and link HERE

As of the 16th of November, this new walkway is now open to walkers, runners and cyclists.

 The aerial photo above shows the new walkway which is highlighted with purple arrows.

The map below shows the new section in Blue and how it will fit into other developments...

This next photo shows the bridge over the Glashaboy River which has been widened to incorporate a new footpath. Prior to this, there was no hard shoulder which made this a no go area for walkers and runners.

This is another view of the new path on the path but looking back towards the Dunkettle Roundabout...

From the Dunkettle Roundabout, there is a footpath all of the way into Glanmire.

This short video shows part of the new walkway when it was under construction...

This short video highlights some of the more visible elements of the Dunkettle Interchange Advance Works, following the route of what will be Cork to Dublin slip road. A fully segregated cycle/walkway is visible on the left.#dunkettle @corkcoco @corkcitycouncil @tmfcork @TIINews pic.twitter.com/0bF92AJX0q

— Dunkettle Interchange (@dunkettleint) September 8, 2020

This is a welcome development for walkers and runners in the area as it opens up new areas and routes. In time, this new path will connect onto the new path to Carrigtwohill which will make the whole area a lot safer for walking, running and cycling.

As for the main Dunkettle Interchange, it is expected that the €215 million project will be finished in Q1 of 2024.

Local councillor calls for pathway in Blackway to be cleared

If you live in the countryside then you probably have a wide choice of routes to run on but if you live near the centre of a city like Cork then it's a different matter. Any pathway or walkway that can take you away from the noise and traffic is welcome for runners and walkers alike and these must be maintained and protected.

Local councillor Fiona Ryan put a video up on Twitter this week highlighting how a public walkway from Spring Land to the North Ring Road was now almost completely overgrown due to a lack of maintenance by Cork City Council.

This is the video....

Take a walk with me on part one of #corkcitycouncil #TourofNeglect of otherwise useful & beautiful amenities left to devolve into ruin. Starting with a trip up the short cut from Blackpool to the Glen River Park pic.twitter.com/aUwO8owGVb

— Fiona Ryan (@CllrFionaRyan) July 21, 2020

The pathway in question is about 190 metres in length and runs parallel to the railway track running north out of the city towards Mallow.

It's obviously suffering from years of neglect as the entrance on Spring Lane doesn't look very inviting...

I wonder has anyone used this path for training runs in the past??

Looking at the map, it does offer a shortcut for residents in Blackpool or Fair Hill to access the Glen River Park. The exit on the North Ring Road is just across from the western entrance to the Glen.

At some stage, the 5k parkrun in the Glen will return on Saturday mornings and anything that makes it easier for people to get there must be welcome.

Lights on Carrigaline to Crosshaven Walkway Vandalised

The Evening Echo had a story yesterday about how 88 solar powered lights on the Carrigaline to Crosshaven walkway had been vandalised on Wednesday the 14th of August. Each one was drilled out and destroyed as a result.

These lights between Kilnageary and Leary's Cross had only been installed last month in July.

The article goes on to say that the 88 of them were installed by a contractor so it must have cost several thousand Euro. The Council have now said that these won't be replaced.

The type of light is shown below. They are specially designed to put out light sideways to illuminate the surface of the path but not upwards. This is to prevent them interfering with wildlife which needs dark areas at night.

The full article can be seen on the Evening Echo website.

New Ballybrack Pedestrian Route in Douglas in Cork City

Update 16th April 2019 : Elected members of the Ballincollig-Carrigaline Municipal District gave their green light of support for the next extension of the Ballybrack pedestrian/cycling path at the April monthly meeting yesterday. The proposed extension now needs to go to full Council for final approval.

Managers report... http://www.marciadalton.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Past-8-Managers-Report_Ballybrack-Valley-Pedestrian-and-Cycle-Route-Phase-4.pdf

Over the last few years, there have been some major improvements to the walkway and park in the Ballybrack Valley area to the south of Douglas in Cork City.

I came across this planning notice recently which shows the next phase of the project which connect the existing Ballybrack walkway over to Maryborough Hill. Once this is complete, it will mean there are more route options for runners and walkers who want to get away from the busy roads.

More info here... https://www.corkcoco.ie/planning/municipal-districts-part-8-planning

Location below...

Work commences on walkway ramp in Mahon

The old railway track in Mahon & Blackrock is one of the most popular routes in Cork City for running as it's quiet, flat and away from any traffic. Back in February of 2016, I had a post up about plans to build a new ramp which would give runners more options for routes.

This work has now commenced and I'd guess it should be finished in a few weeks time. One point to note is that the actual slope of the ramps is a lot gentler than the artists impression would suggest.

Update on the bridge and walkway for the Tramore Valley Park...

Back in February of 2015, I had a post up about how the National Transport Authority had approved funding for the following....

1) The preparing of preliminary design and planning of the overbridge across the N40 (South Ring Road) linking Tramore Valley Park to Grange.

2) Provision of a cycle track from the roundabout on the South Douglas Road to the Tramore Valley Park.


It is envisioned that both projects will link into the Half-Moon Lane which will be another access point.

The latest news is as follows.
a) The RPS Group have been awarded the tender to build the bridge. Work will begin in the coming weeks, with engineers and surveyors carrying out site investigations, topographical surveys and ecological surveys of the site.

b) The pathway from the park to Douglas has now been more or less completed. A smooth tarmac surface has been put down and it is likely to be open once the park is officially open. Photos of the new path HERE

Here is an artists impression of what the bidge might look like from the master plan...

This is based on a design that was built in the US. Whether it ends up looking like that or something scaled down is another issue.

The path from Douglas will give cyclists, walkers and runners more route options once it is in place and the park opens. It's a slow process but at least there is some progress.