Kinsale road roundabout
Encyclopedia
The Kinsale Road Roundabout (Irish
: Timpeall Bóthair Chionn tSáile), sometimes nicknamed The Magic Roundabout, is a five-arm signalised roundabout
located approximately 3km south of Cork
city centre in Ireland
at the junction of the N25 South Ring Road and the N27 South City Link/Airport Road.
The South Ring Road has been constructed on a phased basis since the late 1980s. With the completion of the downstream crossing of the River Lee
, the Jack Lynch Tunnel
, there was a marked increase in traffic using the road which in turn led to increased delays at the Kinsale Road Roundabout. The South Ring Road is currently a dual-carriageway with a number of at-grade and grade-separated interchanges located along its length.
In the determination of a preferred scheme solution a number of options were developed and evaluated in terms of environmental impact, safety
, constructibility, cost, aesthetics
, disruption to traffic during construction and land take. These options included:
Having compared and evaluated the four options it was considered that a flyover carrying the N25 South Ring Road over the existing roundabout was the most suitable solution.
Construction on the flyover started in mid-2005 and finished in late 2006. Effective traffic management throughout the duration of the project was vital as the same volume of vehicles used the roundabout during construction as they did before construction. From public opinion, traffic management was put in place effectively and major delays were rare.
to the Dunkettle Interchange near the north portal of the Jack Lynch Tunnel
.
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
: Timpeall Bóthair Chionn tSáile), sometimes nicknamed The Magic Roundabout, is a five-arm signalised roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
located approximately 3km south of Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
city centre in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
at the junction of the N25 South Ring Road and the N27 South City Link/Airport Road.
The South Ring Road has been constructed on a phased basis since the late 1980s. With the completion of the downstream crossing of the River Lee
River Lee (Ireland)
The Lee is a river in Ireland. It rises in the Shehy Mountains on the western border of County Cork and flows eastwards through Cork City, where it splits in two for a short distance, creating an island on which Cork's city centre is built, and empties into the Celtic Sea at Cork Harbour on the...
, the Jack Lynch Tunnel
Jack Lynch Tunnel
The Jack Lynch Tunnel is an immersed tube tunnel and an integral part of the N25 southern ring road of Cork in Ireland. It is named after former Taoiseach, Jack Lynch, a native of Cork....
, there was a marked increase in traffic using the road which in turn led to increased delays at the Kinsale Road Roundabout. The South Ring Road is currently a dual-carriageway with a number of at-grade and grade-separated interchanges located along its length.
Flyover construction
Recent traffic counts have shown that there are in excess of 85,000 vehicles using the roundabout daily. The straight-through movement between the east and west sides of the South Ring Road was the highest recorded traffic movement at the roundabout and represented approximately 40% of the total traffic using the roundabout. As such, there was an urgent need for grade separation.In the determination of a preferred scheme solution a number of options were developed and evaluated in terms of environmental impact, safety
Safety
Safety is the state of being "safe" , the condition of being protected against physical, social, spiritual, financial, political, emotional, occupational, psychological, educational or other types or consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm or any other event which could be...
, constructibility, cost, aesthetics
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
, disruption to traffic during construction and land take. These options included:
- A flyoverOverpassAn overpass is a bridge, road, railway or similar structure that crosses over another road or railway...
carrying the N25 South Ring Road over the existing roundaboutRoundaboutA roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world... - An underpass carrying the N25 South Ring Road under the existing roundabout
- A flyover carrying the N27 Airport Road/South Link Road over the roundabout
- An underpass carrying the N27 Airport Road/South Link Road under the roundabout
Having compared and evaluated the four options it was considered that a flyover carrying the N25 South Ring Road over the existing roundabout was the most suitable solution.
Construction on the flyover started in mid-2005 and finished in late 2006. Effective traffic management throughout the duration of the project was vital as the same volume of vehicles used the roundabout during construction as they did before construction. From public opinion, traffic management was put in place effectively and major delays were rare.
Upgrade of nearby junctions
The Bandon Road Roundabout and Sarsfield Road Roundabout are located a few kilometres to the west of the Kinsale Road Roundabout. Both roundabouts are currently undergoing grade separation works together owing to their proximity to each other. Once these works are completed, this will result in a non-stop continuous dual-carriageway between the area west of BallincolligBallincollig
Ballincollig is a satellite town in County Cork, Ireland, approximately 9 km west of Cork city. It is located beside the River Lee on the R608 regional road. In 2006 the population of Ballincollig DED was 16,308. The nearest towns include: Ballinora, Ovens, Killumney, Inniscarra, Blarney ,...
to the Dunkettle Interchange near the north portal of the Jack Lynch Tunnel
Jack Lynch Tunnel
The Jack Lynch Tunnel is an immersed tube tunnel and an integral part of the N25 southern ring road of Cork in Ireland. It is named after former Taoiseach, Jack Lynch, a native of Cork....
.