Road Projects Dail Éireann — 2026-02-10 ============================================================ Jerry Buttimer (FG), Cork South-Central The Deputy is dead right. I thank him for his ongoing support and advocacy concerning the importance of the N20-M20 as a county councillor, as leader of the council and as a new Teachta Dála. He illustrated very clearly here the strategic importance of the road. He is 100% correct. I speak as a Cork person when I say that people have waited far too long. It is the piece that we are missing in our region for a variety of reasons, including safety and economic sustainability. I thank the Deputy for his very thought-provoking address tonight here to the House about this strategically important route, which is a priority for the Government. The proposed project aims to enhance regional accessibility by improving the network connecting the cities of Cork and Limerick but also by improving connections to west Cork and Kerry along with that piece the Deputy spoke about, namely, balanced regional growth, especially in north Cork. The N20-M20 Cork to Limerick project will provide not just better connectivity between the second and third largest cities in the State. The Deputy outlined that towns such as Buttevant, Croom, Charleville, Mallow, Blarney, New Twopothouse and Ballyhea will benefit but it will also address safety and the deficiency on the existing road and will deliver active travel infrastructure along the corridor along with the better opportunities we all want. The N20-M20 road corridor options were progressed by TII with public transport alternatives and rail as comparators. Following this appraisal, TII announced the preferred solution on 20 March 2022. The preferred solution involves building a dual carriageway or motorway along the existing N20 corridor between Cork and Limerick and would use 30% to 40% of the current N20. In the course of arriving at the preferred solution, the project team looked at rail options and highlighted the provision of improved services on the existing rail network as a means of enhancing public transport between Cork and Limerick. The design team is currently engaged in the design and environmental evaluation phase of the project. This will include selecting the type of road in addition to the preparation of the scheme's business case, which is required under the infrastructure guidelines. In June 2024, a briefing took place for public representatives as part of the project team's ongoing engagement process. In considering various options in relation to the delivery of this project, the project team is currently recommending that the scheme should be tolled. However, no final decision has been taken in this regard. The introduction of tolling would be subject to compliance with the requirements of the infrastructure guidelines and further statutory approvals. A further project update on 16 June 2025 provided further details, particularly regarding the refined requirements relating to land take. The scheme's preliminary business case is expected to be submitted to the Department of Transport in the second half of this year. Subject to Government approval as is required under the infrastructure guidelines, the submission of the statutory documents for the project to An Coimisiún Pleanála would follow thereafter. TII allocated €4.5 million to Limerick City and County Council to progress the scheme during 2025. Allocations for 2026 will be announced in the near future. I assure the Deputy that I am, as he is, very supportive of this particular project and recognise its importance as we have said, for a variety of reasons, but most importantly from a safety, economic and sustainability point of view. This road needs to be connected. It is that piece that is missing in the connectivity of our country and as two Cork Members and representatives, we understand fully what could happen when this new road is built in terms of the new life it will breathe. The people of that area deserve for this road to be delivered expeditiously. I thank the Deputy for his ongoing work and support and for being a long-time champion of the road. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-10/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:36+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-02-10