Limerick Smarter Travel Route 2
River Shannon Cycle Path & Bridges
Project Details
Client: Limerick City & County Council (Limerick Smarter Travel Team)
Value: €0.25M canal bank works, €2.2M tow path works
Services Provided: Civil Engineering design, Site Supervision, Employers Representative & Project Management
Category: Traffic & Transport
Project Duration: 2014 – 2015 canal bank works,
2015-2017 tow path works
Project Description
This project forms part of the flagship route of the Limerick Smarter Travel Project, the overall objective of which is to connect four key hubs of Limerick City and suburbs by the development and promotion of sustainable modes of transport. The Limerick Smarter Travel project is a collaborative project between Limerick City and County Council and the University of Limerick (UL) which has received over €9.0M of funding from the EU as a demonstrator project.
The canal bank works involved the development of a pedestrian and cycle zone along the banks of the Park Canal. The project includes the following main elements;
- Provision of a new shared surface on the banks of the canal including speed tables, road signage and road markings;
- Installation of pedestrian controlled traffic signals and associated signage;
- Traffic management works and provision of shared transport zones;
- Local drainage works
The Tow path section is a 4km walk and cycleway, which links Limerick city centre with the University of Limerick, has been officially opened.
The walkway, which cost €2.2M, stretches along a scenic section of the river Shannon and the old canal. It takes in the old Limerick Navigation scheme, which was an important commercial water route from Limerick port up to Lough Derg for up to 150 years.
There were extensive renovations to old archway bridges, some of which were widened, and a new asphalt surface was laid along the entire length of the route.