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Introduction
This Route Selection Report for the N22 Ballyvourney - Macroom - Ballincollig Road Project (Project Road) has been prepared in accordance with the National Road Authoritys (NRA) National Roads Project Management Guidelines (Version 1.1, March 2000).
The purpose of the route selection report is to assess potential routes so that a preferred route corridor may be identified.
Reference is made to the Constraints Study Report, which was produced prior to the route selection process.
For the avoidance of doubt the following text has been included on and applies to all scheme drawings:- The route alignments and/or corridors shown are proposed route options. Their locations are intended to be indicative only. In the case of the Preferred Route, the locations of both the alignment and corridor are subject to change as a result of further assessment, design and ongoing studies.
The Need For Upgrading
The National Road Needs Study (1998) provides a basis for national roads policy in Ireland for the period 2000 - 2019. Within the report, the N22 is described as a Strategic Corridor Link between Cork, Killarney and Tralee.
In order to cater for projected traffic levels in 2019, the National Road Needs Study proposed the following improvements to the N22 between Ballincollig and Ballyvourney (currently National Primary Route):
Ballincollig to Coachford Junction (R619): Reduced Dual carriageway improvement.
Coachford Junction (R619) to Macroom: Wide 2 Lane carriageway improvement
Macroom bypass to Ballyvourney/Ballymakeery bypass: Standard 2 lane carriageway improvement
Since publication of the Road Needs Study, the NRA and Cork County Council (CCC) have requested that the need for a dual carriageway between Ballincollig and Macroom, and a wide single carriageway between Macroom and Ballyvourney be investigated.
The need for major improvements to the N22 (Tralee/Killarney/Cork) is referred to in The National Development Plan (2000-2006), which includes for a major investment programme in the national road network in order to provide for continuing sustainable national economic and employment growth.
Preparation Of The Report
This report has been produced by McCarthy Hyder Consultants in association with P J Tobin, who have been appointed by the National Roads Office Cork County Council, to provide engineering and environmental services for the N22 Ballyvourney - Macroom - Ballincollig Road Project. McCarthy Hyder Consultants have in turn appointed the following specialist sub-consultants to contribute to this report:
Irish Archaeological Consultancy
Crop Husbandry Services (Agriculture)
RPS Environmental Sciences (Ecology)
Consultations
During the preparation of the study and this report, McCarthy Hyder (and their sub consultants) contacted various organisations with regard to information about the area, such as constraints and statutory designations.
Constraints Report
A Constraints Report was produced prior to the Second Public Consultation and updated in October 2001 to include the relevant information gained from the Second Public Consultation. This report was published and copies made available for purchase from the National Roads Office (Glanmire), and available for inspection at CCC offices in Macroom and Ballincollig. This report was also placed on CCCs website towards the end of the year.
Format Of This Report
Place Names
Due to the English translation of many place names from Gaelic, the spelling may vary between different mapping/road signs (for instance Baile Mhic Ire is spelt Ballymakeery on OS discovery mapping, but Ballymakeera on the road sign at the entrance to the town). To provide a consistent approach in this report, the English place name spelling will be used taken from the Ordnance Survey Discovery series.
Drawings
A1 drawings are provided in a separate volume.
Ballincollig Bypass
The tie-in at the eastern end of this Project will be at the Ballincollig Bypass. Construction of this bypass commenced in January 2002 and the expected completion date is late 2004.
Horizontal And Vertical Design
Horizontal and Vertical design shown on the drawings is for feasibility design purposes only and will be subject to amendment at later design stages.
Quantities
Quantities given within the document for the various route options are based on feasibility design, for comparative purposes, and may be subject to change during preliminary and detailed design.
Nodes
Throughout the report, reference is made to nodes and route section references along the routes. The location of these nodes and references are shown in Figure 3.4 and listed in Section 3.7.
Mapping & Topography
The following mapping has been used for the work undertaken on the Route Selection Study:
1: 50,000 OS Discovery Series
6 OS Mapping
Colour Aerial Photographs (Summer 2000) taken at 20,000ft (approx. 1:40,000 scale)
Colour Aerial Photograph (Summer 2001) (approx 1:10,000 scale)
Topography Of The Area
The area is dominated by the Lee Valley reservoir, which was created by the construction of dams at Inishcarra and Carrigadrohid. The area is mountainous with river valleys. The elevation of the area ranges between 50 330mOD. The highest ground level is at Cappagh East, north of Ballymakeery, to the north west of the area. There is a relatively low-lying area (50-60mOD) along the River Bride valley to the south of the existing N22 between Ovens and Crookstown, which is in the south east of the Study Area. The River Lee valley, which runs west to east across the area, has been flooded by the construction of dams at Inishcarra and Carrigadrohid. The Discovery Series mapping shows the water level of the resultant Carrigadrohid reservoir in the region 60mOD and that of the Inishcarra reservoir around 50mOD. The River Sullane valley runs south of the existing N22 between Ballyvourney and Macroom. The levels in this valley range between 120mOD near Ballyvourney to 65mOD at Macroom.
The Existing N22
The existing N22 passes through several towns/townlands for the section between Ballyvourney and Ballincollig. These towns/townlands include Ballyvourney, Ballymakeery, Macroom, Lissarda and Ovens. Junctions to side roads and accesses are also frequent to both sides of the carriageway throughout the project's length.
The existing N22 from Ballyvourney to the west of Macroom has a substandard horizontal alignment where there are tight bends with no overtaking opportunity and forward visibility is restricted by the topography.Within Macroom, the existing route is severely restricted by parked cars and the road narrows at the Town Square to a point that there is insufficient width for a Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) and a car to pass. Between Macroom and Lissarda, the hard shoulders narrow and the alignment is bendy with no safe overtaking opportunity. The existing N22 between Ovens and Lissarda is a fairly straight, wide road with 2m hard shoulders to both sides. There are a number of minor road accesses along this length of road with substandard junction layouts.
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