Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)

I thank the Deputy for the question and his ongoing advocacy on the need for the N20-M20 Cork-Limerick motorway. He and I share an urgent need to have this road completed. I wish he and I were not in the House again discussing this. It is a project of gargantuan importance.

As Members will know, it involves 80 km of refurbishment and, at its core, the project will address many of the road safety concerns on the existing N20. I also commend Councillor Liam Madden on his work on this project. In addition, the project is aimed at improving connectivity between Cork and Limerick, increasing journey time reliability for passenger and freight traffic and improving the economic heartbeat of the region. As Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development, I know it is also about relieving congestion in towns such as Mallow, Buttevant and Charleville and improving the quality of life for residents in those towns.

The project team issued updates in June 2024 and June 2025 to inform all stakeholders of progress to date and proposed next steps. Earlier this year the update provided further detail on the refinement of the route corridor and the impact on landowners. It also detailed junction designs, plans for transport hubs and the active travel infrastructure that is part of the project. A preferred route has been selected and the project team is currently engaging in the design and evaluation phase. At this juncture I understand that Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, expects to submit a preliminary business case to the Department of Transport in the second half of next year. Given the scale of expenditure required, the project will require the approval of the Government at that stage before submission of statutory documents to An Coimisiún Pleanála, which will follow thereafter.

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