The R509 road, the ''Childers Road'' (named after
Erskine Childers), is a
regional road in
Ireland, running through the southeastern side of
Limerick City. It forms what is somewhat akin to an inner
ring road
A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop, bypass or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city, or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist i ...
(albeit mostly two-lane only).
Route
The ''Childers Road'' was built in several stages to connect various suburbs on that side of the city (it was not originally envisaged as a ring road route). The first section linked the then
N20/
N21 ''Ballinacurra Road'' (from the city centre to Raheen and onwards to
Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
/
Kerry) to the ''Greenfields Road'', Janesboro and onward to the ''
Roxboro Roxboro is the name of several places:
*Roxboro, Quebec, now part of the Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada
* Roxboro, North Carolina, United States of America
*Roxboro, Limerick, a townland in Co Limerick, Ireland
*Roxboro, Ca ...
Road''/''Fedamore Road'' (
R511). The N20/N21 now commences just prior to the
Roxboro Roxboro is the name of several places:
*Roxboro, Quebec, now part of the Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada
* Roxboro, North Carolina, United States of America
*Roxboro, Limerick, a townland in Co Limerick, Ireland
*Roxboro, Ca ...
Roundabout.
The next stage of the road continues on to link with the ''Old Cork Road'' (
R512). Here it passes under the Limerick–
Limerick Junction railway line. The road continues round to the ''Tipperary Road'' (
N24), meeting at the
Tipperary roundabout.
The final stage of the road, the last to be built, connects from the Tipperary roundabout, north to the ''Dublin Road'' (
N7). The roundabout junction here is located in what is known as the ''Parkway'' area. The Parkway roundabout serves Childers Road, Parkway Shopping Centre, Dublin Road, and old Dublin Road/Rhebogue Road.
The final section of Childers Road also has a junction (between the Tipperary and Parkway roundabouts) with the ''Bloodmill Road'' (or ''Old Singland Road''). A new retail development, Childers Road Retail Park has been built at this junction, and some of Childers Road upgraded to 3 or 4 lanes. A new junction serves the retail park.
Discussion
Until the opening of the M7 Southern Ring Road (a dual-carriageway running further from the city linking the M7, N18, M20/N21 and N24 roads), the Childers road carried traffic attempting to skirt past Limerick between these routes, in addition to city traffic to and between the various suburbs along the route (e.g. between
Castletroy and
Raheen). The road thus earned the title "Limerick's car park", and would feature each morning and evening on traffic reports. Traffic levels are now more suited to the road, but due to the new retail park, and increased traffic generally, delays along the route are still frequent.
The R509 is now in its entirety the ''Childers Road'', between the
R445
The R445 road is a regional road in Ireland. The route is a non-motorway alternative route to the N7/ M7 motorway between Naas and Limerick, and at 170 km it is one of the longest regional roads in Ireland (longer than most national roads). ...
(at the ''Parkway Shopping Centre'' on the ''Dublin Road'') and the
R526, where it terminates.
The
Bus Éireann
Bus Éireann (; "Irish Bus") is a state-owned bus and coach operator providing services throughout Ireland, with the exception of Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area, where bus services are provided by sister company Dublin Bus. It is a subsidia ...
308 bus route (city centre to Castletroy/
University of Limerick) has a stop on Childers Road near the Bloodmill Road junction. A cycle route runs along part of the Childers Road and is due to be extended as part of a planned scheme of cycleways for Limerick.
A new relief road was opened in 2006 between Plassey roundabout and New Tipperary Road (
R527) which should help to alleviate much of the traffic congestion caused by the opening of the Childers Road Retail Park and Parkway Retail Park only 100 metres up the R509.
See also
*
Roads in Ireland
*
National primary road
*
National secondary road
References
Roads Act 1993 (Classification of Regional Roads) Order 2012–
Department of Transport
External links
Childers Road
{{Roads in Ireland
Regional roads in the Republic of Ireland
Limerick (city)
Roads in County Limerick