M28 Motorway Moves Forward with €206 Million Contract Signed; Works to Commence in Rochestown

• Cork County Council has signed a €206 million contract with BAM for the main construction phase of the M28 Cork to Ringaskiddy Motorway
• The project will deliver 11km of new motorway, with site works, including clearance near St. Patrick's Church in Rochestown, set to begin by the end of June 2025.

After years of anticipation, the M28 Cork to Ringaskiddy Motorway project has taken a significant step forward. Cork County Council has officially signed a €206 million construction contract with BAM, signalling the start of the main works on the crucial piece of infrastructure. The project, funded by the Department of Transport through Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), is designed to support the Port of Cork's operations, improve journey times, and enhance safety for all road users.

Motorists and residents, particularly in the Rochestown area, should be aware that initial works are scheduled to begin towards the end of June. BAM will commence site clearance around St. Patrick’s Church, with ducting works to follow. Concurrently, overhead line protection works will start, and earthworks are planned for the Barnahely to Shannonpark section of the route this month. This follows extensive advance works, including utility diversions and the establishment of a main project office in Shanbally.

As part of the project's commitment to environmental protection, significant measures have already been implemented. Artificial badger setts and bat boxes have been installed to provide new homes for local wildlife. To safeguard the integrity of nearby rivers and streams, silt curtains are in place and water quality is being continuously monitored with live-feed cameras and auto-samplers.

Further extensive planting of native trees, including Oak, Scots Pine, and Hazel, will take place throughout the project.
Archaeological investigations along the 11km corridor have uncovered a remarkable history of settlement stretching back over 5,700 years.

Discoveries include a rare Neolithic house, Bronze Age settlements, and the remains of a 17th-century forge, which has been wryly described as possibly being Cork’s earliest roadside service station. These findings provide a fascinating insight into the lives of the communities who inhabited the Ringaskiddy Peninsula through the ages.

The overall M28 project, which includes the 1.5km Ringaskiddy Relief Road already being constructed by Sorensen Civil Engineering, is a key component of Project Ireland 2040 and the EU's Trans-European Transport Network. The full motorway is expected to be completed by the summer of 2028.

The M28 motorway project has reached a major milestone with a €206m contract awarded. Main construction works are now set to commence along the route.