Dublin City Council awards construction contract for €62 million Clontarf to City Centre project

(Project image North Strand Road East Wall Jct)

Dublin City Council has announced that it has today awarded the civil engineering contract for the construction of the Clontarf to City Centre project.

This transformative project for the North East Inner City area will see the entire road space reconfigured, with upgraded footpaths, protected cycle tracks, continuous bus lanes as well as retaining a lane for cars in each direction.

It includes delivering a section of the Tolka Valley greenway and upgrading the cycle facilities along a promenade in Fairview Park.

The project connects the north east part of the city to the city centre, with a high quality streetscape that includes the provision of community spaces, additional greening and tree planting.

Project image view towards Fairview

It provides 5.4km of bus lanes, 6 km of cycle tracks and 8 km of footpaths. In addition it allows the North East Inner City to be connected in a safe way with facilities for all ages and abilities with Clontarf and the East Coast cycle route to Howth.

It will therefore provide access to leisure and sports facilities along the north coast. In time it will connect to the South Coast via a new Liffey pedestrian and cycling bridge.

“The Clontarf to City Centre Project is a key mobility milestone for our city,” said the Lord Mayor of Dublin Alison Gilliland.

“It will very much enhance the active mobility infrastructure on this very busy route.

“It will also serve to connect with other already established routes and allow for a more accessible, sustainable and climate friendly city.”

It also includes the replacement of 6km of old water mains thereby reducing leakage and ensuring continuity of supply. The project is scheduled for completion in Q1 2024. Additional information is available on www.c2cc.ie

Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan TD said: “This new project will allow the North East Inner City to be connected in a safe way with facilities for all ages and abilities with Clontarf and the East Coast cycle route to Howth. It will provide access to leisure and sports facilities along the north coast and in time it will connect to the South Coast via a new Liffey pedestrian and cycling bridge. It is great to see our investment in active travel being delivered on the ground but it is important that delivery of projects like this is accelerated in the coming months and years.”

This 62 million euro project is being funded by the National Transport Authority, with the replacement of the water mains being funded by Irish Water.

“The Clontarf to City Centre scheme is one of the flagship projects in NTA’s Dublin Area Cycle Network Plan,” said NTA CEO Anne Graham. “Today’s signing is a commitment of the NTA continued drive towards a more sustainable future. By providing dedicated bus and cyclist provision along this busy corridor, we expect to see significant journey time saving for both public transport users and cyclists. Furthermore, on completion this section will join North Strand Road with the recently delivered Clontarf Seafront and also connect with the Royal Canal Greenway providing an attractive alternative to the private vehicle.

“We know from the recently-published Bike Life Report that if we can make cycling attractive, safe and easy to access, more people would be willing to switch to the bike for their daily commute.

I believe that this route does all of those things. I have no doubt that the Clontarf to City Centre Project will prove to be very popular among cyclists in the months and years ahead, and NTA is delighted to provide funding for it.”

Michael Stone, Chairperson (Government Appointed) North East Inner City Programme Implementation Board, has welcomed the announcement. “This project will help to transform the North East inner city and provides safe and sustainable links for the community to both the city centre and to the Coast, for work for leisure and for exercise. This project builds on the Royal Canal Cycle way which has recently provided a linear park along the royal canal that all the community now enjoy and the investment in the streetscape, planting, community space as part of this project is very much to be welcomed.”

Christy Burke Chair of the Transportation Strategic Policy Committee DCC: “This long over-due project is most welcome and will help to rejuvenate the area, it is most welcome that the North East Inner City has been chosen to have such a major social, transformative project which will benefit all ages and all abilities within this area.

“The safe sustainable links to the rest of the city are welcome and will help to make this too often neglected part of the city a better place to live and work in.”