FAQs

The purpose of the new wider footpath is about giving the town back to the people and not letting it be controlled by vehicles, the wider footpath provides safer and free flow of people, it provides a sense of space and calmness inside a busy urban environment, it encourages outdoor eating and an active streetscape, it increases the footfall and helps Traders prosper and most importantly, in Ballincollig, it joins the northern side of the Main Street to the southern side of the Main Street. The previous heavily trafficked wide roadway along the Main Street used to act as a physical barrier that severed the town in two, now because of the wider streets and parallel parking the town has become closer, a modern centre has been created for the people of Ballincollig and it is fast becoming a place to go to rather than go through.

The traffic lights are under construction and once they are all completed, there is a proposed plan to synchronise them together to provide safer and more efficient flow of traffic. The new traffic junctions including the West End junction upgrade all incorporate pedestrian lights to allow cyclists and pedestrians safe access across busy trafficked roads. The traffic lights also allow the safe movement of vehicles to filter onto the Main Street R608 especially during peak traffic flow times from various large housing estates and busy streets along Main Street Ballincollig. The new bus lane from west to east through the West End junction will also improve speed of the public transport system.

The Ballincollig Green Route was granted planning under the Part 8 of the Planning & Development Regulations 2001. An extensive public consultation period was held before these works were finalised and eventually granted planning permission to proceed. The appropriate time to deal with and respond to the concerns in relation to the design and planning of these works would have been during the Part 8 Planning process for this project. The Part 8 Planning process is voted on by the County Councillors, the local democratically elected representatives of the people and the plans must be passed democratically by them in order to proceed.

There was never an existing right turn lane for Old Quarry but I am aware that vehicles did utilise the ghost island for refuge while waiting for an opportunity to turn right. The ghost lining along the centre of the Main Road from the Coolroe and Wyndham junction to the West End had to be narrowed in order to provide adequate room to install a west-east bus lane. The right turn lane into Coolroe Heights had to be removed because with the addition of the bus lane there was not adequate room to retain the right turn lane. The main road along this section is a 50km/hr speed zone and if vehicles obeyed the speed limit, traffic should be able to right turn safely into Coolroe Heights.

The old litter bins were removed and will all be replaced with new stainless steel litter bins, the replacement works are due to begin from Thursday 17th June and should only take a few days to complete.

We plan to begin the road works and resurfacing from west of Station road up to the entrance of Muskerry Estate on Monday 26th April 2010 and it should take approximately 1 week to complete. The remaining section from Harrington Street to Station Road will be completed in June 2010 once we have completed the streetscape works.

The scheduled completion date in now the end of November 2010, it was originally the end of October 2010 but it has been increased due to an increase in the original scope of works.

The one-way system through the town will be removed in end of June/early July 2010 and the R608 Main Street will be returned to its original 2-way system.
Station Road will be resurfaced to the Community Centre.

Kerbing and road surface will be replaced between Muskerry Estate and the West Village Roundabout.

12 no. traffic lighting junctions that will also have pedestrian crossings built in.
Classes Lake
Coolroe/Wyndham
West End
Innishmore
Muskerry
Station road with R608
East Town Centre
Harrington Street
Station road with Kilumney Road
Leo Murphy Road with Kilumney Road
East Gate
Leo Murphy Road with R608

8 no. independent/stand alone pedestrian crossings
Oriel House Hotel
Topaz Garage West
East of Town Square
Colaiste Choilm
Manor Hill
Poulavone x 3no.

That is correct. The contractor accidentally broke the existing 150mm diameter uPVC water main on 28th April 2009 near Poulavone. The problem was fixed immediately by Cork County Council's Professional Water Services Emergency Response Team. The discolouration of the water was due to the water main break that caused high enough velocities to stir the iron and manganese sediment lying in the bottom of the water main. There are no health risks associated with type of problem, as the particulate matter causing the discoloration is simply iron and manganese oxides, and are not harmful. If anybody is worried the best way to eliminate this problem would be to turn all taps on at the same time and let them run a few minutes. If it does not clear, try again later. It may be because the sediment in the water main has not settled out yet. If so, wait several hours and try again.

Unfortunately, there are no plans to modify this junction as part of the Ballincollig Green Route and Water Services Contract. To avoid delays turning right I would recommend, as an alternative, you turn left, proceed to the Kilumney Road Roundabout and take the third exit to travel back along Kilumney Road westbound. The other alternative to access Kilumney Road would be to instead travel the opposite way along Clash Road, westbound along Model Farm Road, through the first exit of the Poulavone Roundabout and then the second exit at the Kilumney Road Roundabout.

There is an alternative route for pedestrians at the moment. At Bridgewater there is a diversion sign for pedestrians coming from Carrigrohane. The diversion is in through the entrance of Bridgewater, once inside please take an immediate left and there is an existing footpath in front of the first row of houses in Bridgewater. Please use this footpath to travel westbound and parallel with the original footpath adjacent to Main Street, at the end of the row of houses in Bridgewater there is a sign diverting pedestrians south out through an existing opening in Bridgewater's boundary hedge. You will be back onto the original footpath adjacent to Main Street where you can continue at your leisure towards Ballincollig Town Centre. The new footpath will be opened in mid March again by the latest.

The works do include to take the overhead wires in the town centre and place them underground. The Contractor will install new ducts for the ESB between Muskerry Estate and Harrington Street. All existing ESB Services between Muskerry Estate and Harrignton Street will be then under grounded by the ESB. Also all public lighting from Inchigaggin Lane to the West End Roundabout (junction) will have the electrical cables in ducts underground.

The westbound traffic will be re-established from the Poulavone roundabout into Ballincollig around July 2009. This section of road will return to two-way traffic like before the works began. This section of road has to remain closed for westbound traffic for 6 months to facilitate the safe construction of a new watermain, a new foul sewer, a new storm sewer, road gullies, new footpaths, cycle lanes, bus priority lanes, pedestrian crossings, traffic lights, public lighting and a new road surface overlay.

Two new temporary speed restriction ramps have been installed along Station Road. The first speed restriction ramp is located across the southbound and northbound carriageway of Station Road adjacent to Ballincollig Community Hall. The second speed restriction ramp is located across the southbound and northbound carriageway of Station Road adjacent to Ballincollig's Catholic Church. These temporary speed restriction ramps will remain in place until works along Station Road are completed and at that stage, permanent speed ramps will then be installed in accordance with the Traffic Management Guidelines.

Cork Area Strategic Plan (CASP), commissioned jointly by Cork City Council and Cork County Council requires the implementation of an integrated transport system of which Green Routes are an essential part. Green Routes will give priority to the movement of people. It is intended to resurface/renew the Main Street pavement in Ballincollig, Carrigrohane and Model Farm Road and to give priority to alternative modes of transport by providing bus lane corridors, cycle lanes, footpaths and pedestrian crossings as appropriate. The water services element of the contract is to upgrade and replace the existing underground services that include watermains, trunk foul sewers and strom sewers with gullies to improve road drainage. The end result will be upgraded and future proofed underground services and there will be a high quality, modern, pedestrian and public transport friendly main corridor from Inchigaggin Lane through to Classes Lake.

Atkins Ireland are the lead consultants who designed the Ballincollig Green Route. Malachy Walsh & Partners are the Consultants who designed the Water Services element of the contract. Both the Ballincollig Green Route design and Water Services design were combined into a single contract called the Ballincollig Green Route & Water Services Contract in order to reduce likely delays, costs and claims through economies of scale.

McGinty & O'Shea are the main contractor on site. McGinty & OShea are a very experienced Contractor in civil, road and water services works. They are competent in carrying out works in an urban environment. Their previous contracts included; Oliver Plunkett Street renewal in Cork City, Blackpool Bypass works in Cork City, Kinsale Main Drainage Scheme Phase 1 works in Co. Cork and the R617 Blarney Re-surfacing Scheme works in Co. Cork.