Pictured at the official opening of the cycleway was Andrew Montague, Lord Mayor of Dublin (2011 - 2012).
Summary
Roughan & O’Donovan undertook the design of this 3.6km off-road cycle route linking Portobello with Spencer Dock and running past the Grand Canal.
We also provided technical assistance on traffic signal layouts and operations at major road junctions along the Grand Canal section.
This is among the best off-road cycle-routes within a major urban area in Ireland.
Alan Kelly
Minister of State for Public and Commuter Transport (2011-2014)
Solution
Our solution involved the design of:
- 2.5km length of the cycle route
- A 100m long, pedestrian boardwalk overhanging the Grand Canal
- Innovative traffic signals for cyclists at junctions
Key features:
- Canal boardwalk consisting of a concrete deck for pedestrians, cantilevered over the canal bank with mini-pile supports
- An old towpath redeveloped to create the 3.0m wide segregated cycleway
Challenge
Our key challenge related to traffic design; we needed to get cyclists across major road junctions quickly and safely while minimising any loss of junction efficiency for traffic.
The introduction of new, smaller-sized cycle traffic signals on the nine junctions where cyclists share the route with other road users, and special detector loops on the cycleway, helped provide green signals for cyclists quickly on their approach, which minimised delays.
Services provided:
- Civil engineering design
- Structural engineering design
- Traffic engineering
