First phase of Sutton to Sandycove cycle route officially opens

S2S Dollymount – the first section of the proposed Sutton to Sandycove Cycleway – was officially opened last week, finally connecting Sutton and Clontarf with a single, dedicated cycle track after a 100-year wait.
The new 2km stretch of dedicated bike path and footway on the Clontarf Road between Wooden Bridge and Bull Island Causeway was officially opened by Lord Mayor Brendan Carr on Friday.
The new stretch, which cost around €5million and includes a new segregated two-way cycle track and 4km of upgraded footpaths, connects existing 100 year-old cycle paths and now means that there is a continuous 8.5km bikeway and walking path trunning all the way from Sutton Cross to Clontarf village.
Public lighting along the route has also been upgraded and the historic tram shelter at Clontarf has also been restored.
Additional works include the provision of a continuous coastal flood defence wall from Bull Road to Causeway Road as part of the Dublin Coastal Flood Protection and Dublin SAFER projects.
During the construction of the cycleway and footway, a 600mm diameter water main was also installed.
Up until now, cyclists on the route had to leave the bike path at the Wooden Bridge traffic lights and join traffic on the busy and bumpy concrete Clontarf Rd before the cycle path re-emerged a 2km further along the road.
That’s because when the original 8.5km Clontarf to Sutton cycleway was constructed in the early 1990s, its builders had to leave a 2km gap because no solution could be found to building the cycleway by the environmentally sensitive lagoon.
It is hoped that the next phase of plans for the S2S Cycleway will eventually extend approximately 22km from Sandycove to Sutton, linking existing walkways and cycle-ways.
Jimmy and Kathleen Nolan, who completed the new walkway from Clontarf to Sutton over the weekend, said: “It was a fantastic walk with beautiful views of Dublin bay. It will be great for people during the summer months.”
Mayor Carr said he was delighted to open the first stage of the Sutton to Sandycove Cycleway and added: “I hope that residents and tourists alike will get great enjoyment from this wonderful amenity on the north side of the city.
“I congratulate Dublin City Council, the National Transport Authority, Irish Water and the contribution from the local community for coming together to work on this project in this environmentally sensitive area.”
Cllr Ciaran Cuffe (GP) told The Gazette the S2S walkway is an “excellent visionary proposal”.
He said: “I pay tribute to the ‘Sutton 2 Sandycove Promenade and Cycleway Campaign’ group who are promoting this proposal. This is an environmentally friendly and achievable project that deserves support.
“The proposal involves some stretches of new promenade and a new pedestrian and cycle bridge in Ringsend, but it consists mostly of the joining together of stretches of existing walkway.
“It is relatively inexpensive project and I shall continue to promote the project through Dublin City Council.” www.s2s.ie