The Path to Greener Routes and Roads
The roads and paths that connect our homes, offices, high streets, factories, and infrastructure need to be connected strategically and literally.
Optimising how we move around is vital to ensure that people and businesses can function as efficiently and sustainably as possible. Getting this right can mean unlocking a wealth of economic and social benefits while providing everyone with equal access to vital facilities and amenities.
On top of this, the journeys we take have a significant impact on our wellbeing, as a pleasant, uncrowded route surrounded by greenery, biodiversity and considered architecture can boost mental health levels. This is the idea behind the ‘healthy streets’ concept, which uses a human centred framework to embed health into the public realm. In contrast, unpleasant and inefficient roads are not only stressful but can create traffic chokepoints leading to high-pollution zones that negatively impact people and the environment.
The recent unveiling of significant funding for Ireland’s national roads and greenways was therefore notable for its commitment to building, enhancing, and revitalising a wide variety of vital routes across the country in a way that balanced the multiple benefits and potential advantages from strategic transport infrastructure.
New Funding for 2024
Announced in February by the Minister for Transport, €517 million will be split into three pots for major national road projects and maintenance as well as to progress 70 greenways. To protect and renew the existing road network, €412 million of the funding will be allocated to local authorities for new roads, some of which may already be under way. A further €33 million will provide regular maintenance and ensure the roads remain in good working order.
Some of the major national projects that will benefit include the M28 from Cork to Ringaskiddy, the N25 Midleton to Youghal, N17 Knock to Collooney and the N4 Mullingar to Longford roads. Many by-passes and relief road schemes will also be progressed, including those around the towns of Adare, Virginia, Listowel, Ardee or Foxford. The N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge is also a flagship development covered by the funding. This is a great example of how targeted investments can provide direct welfare benefits to road users, as it will replace one of the most dangerous sections of primary road in the country.
The final pot of €72 million will go towards greenway projects, with approximately 65km of the landscaped, shared use paths delivered this year and a further 35km planned out. Routes will include the Limerick Greenway, Waterford Greenways, the first section of the Midleton to Youghal Greenway and the Boyne Valley to Lakelands Greenway. This will also see the start of the National Cycle Network, an interconnected, 3,500km series of cycling corridors.
Getting Infrastructure in the Ground
This half a billion Euros of investment is clearly a considerable amount of development and will involve a lot of planning, designs, consultations, and construction to ensure that the new and improved infrastructure is ready on time and to a high standard.
The critical components and services required to support such large-scale work are key, as while much of it can go unnoticed it often plays a central role in whether the final road or greenway system meets the expected economic, environmental, and social objectives. This can include the cables, equipment and workload required to install everything from traffic lights, security cameras, signalling, communications, and electric vehicle charging points to water supplies, utilities, irrigation and more.
At Cubis, we have first-hand experience on significant transport infrastructure projects around the world. This has given our teams an excellent insight into how the various moving parts come together and what needs to be done to ensure that everything operates smoothly.
An idea of what would be required for Ireland’s upgraded road infrastructure can be found in a project we worked on with the Polish state authority for National Roads and Highways (GDDKiA), the S7 Expressway. In much the same way that the Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) funding will help link up Ireland, this 672-mile motorway connects Poland from its Baltic coast to its Southern border with Slovakia.
For this, an underground cable protection system was required that would safely distribute both high and low voltage cables to and from a sub power station within a small, shallow excavation. To meet the timescale and resource requirements, the chosen system would also need to reduce the typical installation time and the need to remove large quantities of soil.
Our MULTIduct™ cable protection system was ideal, as its lightweight structural properties meant it could be buried in a shallow excavation and re-installed using material dug out onsite, reducing both the project’s carbon impact and the amount of time taken to install the power cables. Its push fit connection also enabled quick assembly with the ability to lay straighter and flatter, ensuring easy cable pulling while eliminating twisting issues during installation.
The amount of cabling and associated components required for large-scale road projects is highlighted by the fact that over 2,300 9-Way MULTIduct™ units were utilised for Poland’s S7 Expressway, along with a range of spigots, sockets, duct adaptors and degree angle accessories to seamlessly connect the cable protection system to the network.
Futureproofing Tomorrow’s Roads
The longevity of large-scale road developments means it’s important to not just consider how the highway will function when opened, but how it can be maintained and upgraded over the decades (if not centuries) it will be used. This is one of the reasons that our network access chambers and covers are often specified for such projects, as they allow maintenance teams to easily check the cables and infrastructure required for the road and repair or upgrade it when necessary.
Durability and repairability are especially important properties for components in busy road networks. With more than 2.8 million registered vehicles on Ireland’s roads and some facing particularly acute pressures, such as the N40 Cork Southern Ring Road which carries over 80,000 vehicles per day, it’s clear that the new roads will need to handle intense pressures.
One innovative way to manage this issue is using sockets which allow for the quick replacement of signs and lights in the event of a road traffic accident. The NAL Retention Socket sits alongside multiple road systems for this reason, as if a traffic light for example is hit, then the damaged pole can be easily removed and a new one rapidly slotted into place – with no need to dig up concrete or repour to fix the new pole in place. Maintenance personnel can also easily access the power cable, which is fed from the socket to a controller cabinet.
An especially critical aspect of futureproofing Ireland’s transport infrastructure is ensuring that it will facilitate the growing number of electric vehicles. This will require not just more charging points, but substations and cabling as well as the ability to upgrade capacity over time. The NAL EV Universal Foundation in combination with Cubis’ access chambers and cable protection systems have been designed with just these challenges in mind and are already being utilised in many forecourts and charging hubs to boost localised EV charging capabilities.
Social and Sustainability Advantages
The building materials specified for national infrastructure projects also play a significant role in the funding’s broader social and environmental goals. This is especially evident with the greenways, which are intended to provide a sustainable and healthier alternative to cars. Achieving this will require suitable paths and irrigation systems built alongside the greenways as well as the necessary signage, street furniture, lights and more that will ensure they remain safe and well maintained.
In addition to making Ireland’s travel routes literally greener, choosing the right components and materials for the work is vital to driving down carbon emissions and limiting the work’s impact on the environment. Specifying efficient solutions with low embodied carbon levels, which minimise resource use, wastage and deliveries is vital, especially when considering the large number of products that will be required for these roads and greenways.
For sizable national projects, sourcing from local manufacturers can significantly reduce overall emissions by cutting transportation demands. Heavy-duty vehicles (HDV) are a particularly problematic cause of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with a recent report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) finding that road transport is the largest contributor to transport emissions in the EU, and HDVs are responsible for around a quarter of EU road transport emissions. Scaling back on the use of HDVs through targeted procurement can therefore help large road projects minimise their carbon footprint. The benefits of aligning specification with local businesses don’t end there, as it also means the investment goes into local communities and helps drive social value generation.
The Route Forward
As we can see, the recent road funding announcement has the potential to substantially boost Ireland’s economic, environmental, and social prosperity. Understanding these benefits is critical and it will take many stakeholders, from central government and local authorities to contractors, manufacturers and local communities working in collaboration to maximise the opportunities most effectively.
At Cubis, our extensive highway project expertise is coupled with a history of innovative, long-standing partnerships with major construction contractors. This means we’ve developed both a high-quality, integrated product range as well as the relationships, experience, and insights to ensure that large-scale transport infrastructure activity delivers across multiple important objectives.