14 May 2025
By Valerie Ryan
valerie@TheCork.ie
POLITICS: Independent Ireland demands urgent upgrades of Cork – Limerick Road
Michael Collins TD, leader of Independent Ireland, and party General Secretary Richard O’Donoghue TD have today issued a stark warning to Government over what they describe as the “scandalous neglect” of the Cork to Limerick road and the wider rural road network, calling for immediate investment and a reversal of what they termed “Dublin-centric transport planning.”
File photo of West Cork TD Michael Collins (Ind Irl)
Speaking after recent visits to communities along the N20 corridor, Deputy O’Donoghue slammed the decades-long failure to deliver a safe, modern Cork to Limerick route, saying the lack of progress was now bordering on farce.
“People have been promised a proper Cork–Limerick road for over 20 years,” he said. “Instead, we’ve seen endless reports, consultations, political theatre — but still the same narrow, dangerous road littered with accident blackspots. Communities along this stretch feel forgotten and betrayed.”
The long-proposed M20 motorway, intended to link Cork and Limerick with a high-quality dual carriageway, has faced repeated delays, with no concrete start date in sight. Meanwhile, traffic volumes continue to rise, and the current road — a mix of outdated single carriageway and intermittent upgrades — remains wholly unfit for purpose.
Deputy Michael Collins, who represents Cork South-West, said the condition of both national and local roads across Munster had reached “breaking point.”
“It’s not just the M20 — the road from Bandon to Limerick Junction is in appalling condition. Potholes, collapsing verges, zero drainage — you couldn’t make it up. Car owners are forking out thousands in repairs, and in some areas, school buses are having to reroute because the roads are too dangerous. We’ve had enough.”
The Independent Ireland party is demanding the immediate fast-tracking of the M20 motorway project and the establishment of a ring-fenced rural roads repair fund, to be allocated based on geographic spread and actual road usage rather than political convenience.
“There’s no point talking about balanced regional development if you can’t even guarantee safe, passable roads between two of the country’s largest cities,” O’Donoghue said. “The west and south of Ireland are not second-class regions. We’re not interested in more ribbon-cutting ceremonies for bus lanes in the capital while Cork and Limerick remain effectively disconnected.”
The party also warned of serious safety and liability concerns.
“From ambulance response times to school transport to local business deliveries, the condition of our road network is a threat to lives and livelihoods,” Collins said. “This is a national disgrace, and the longer the Government drags its feet on the M20 and rural repair schemes, the more it will cost — financially and in human terms.”
Both deputies confirmed they will continue to raise the matter and continue to advocate for immediate investment in the Cork–Limerick corridor and substantial funding for local and regional roads.