The N40 road (commonly known as the Cork South Ring Road, or locally 'The South Link') is a

national primary road A national primary road ( ga, Bóthar príomha náisiúnta) is a road classification in Ireland. National primary roads form the major routes between the major urban centres. There are 2649 km of national primary roads. This category of ro ...

Cork City Cork ( , from , meaning 'marsh') is the second largest city in Ireland and third largest city by population on the island of Ireland. It is located in the south-west of Ireland, in the province of Munster. Following an extension to the city's ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. The road runs through

forming an orbital and distributor route through the south side of the city, linking the N22 at

Ballincollig Ballincollig () is a suburban town within the administrative area of Cork city in Ireland. It is located on the western side of Cork city, beside the River Lee on the R608 regional road. In 2016 it was the largest town in County Cork, at wh ...

to the N25 at the Dunkettle Interchange. The present N40 was created on 23 February 2012 via statutory instrument. The newly designated N40 was formed from parts of both the N22 and N25. It is intended that once the Cork North Ring Road is completed, that the N40 will comprise a complete orbital route through the inner city.

Route

The Cork South Ring Road commences at the junction with the N22 at the end of the

bypass. The N40 next passes the Curraheen Interchange before meeting the Bandon Road Roundabout, which forms a junction with the N71. This junction also gives access to west Bishopstown. The next exit leads from the Sarsfield Roundabout up to the Wilton Roundabout after passing

Wilton Shopping Centre Wilton Shopping Centre, located in the Wilton area of Cork, is the second biggest shopping centre in the city. It opened on 6 December 1979, and has 65 shops. In 2003, construction began to add 10 new units, and outlets in the centre now inclu ...

on the left,

Cork University Hospital Cork University Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a large university teaching hospital in Wilton, Cork in Ireland. Its academic partner is University College Cork. It is the only Level 1 Trauma Centre in Ireland. It is a public ...

and west Bishopstown. From there, after passing the exit to Togher/Turner's Cross, The South Ring Road runs east over the Kinsale Road Roundabout by flyover. It also meets the N27 to Cork International Airport,

Kinsale Kinsale ( ; ) is a historic port and fishing town in County Cork, Ireland. Located approximately south of Cork City on the southeast coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon, and has a population of 5,281 (a ...

Road and the N27 South Link Road to the city centre by exiting onto the Kinsale Road Roundabout by

slip road In the field of road transport, an interchange (American English) or a grade-separated junction (British English) is a road junction that uses grade separations to allow for the movement of traffic between two or more roadways or highways, usin ...

. The Cork South Ring Road continues east, overpassing

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and meets the N28 to

Ringaskiddy Ringaskiddy () is a village in County Cork, Ireland. It is located on the western side of Cork Harbour, south of Cobh, and is 15 kilometres from Cork city, to which it is connected by the N28 road. The village is a port with passenger fer ...

(

Carrigaline Carrigaline () is a town and civil parish in County Cork, Ireland, situated on the River Owenabue. Located about south of Cork city, and with a population of 15,770 people, it is one of the largest commuter towns of the city. The R611 regiona ...

Road) at The Bloomfield Interchange. From here the road passes under the

River Lee The River Lee (Irish: ''An Laoi'') is a river in Ireland. It rises in the Shehy Mountains on the western border of County Cork and flows eastwards through Cork, where it splits in two for a short distance, creating an island on which Cork's ...

through the Jack Lynch Tunnel. North of the tunnel, the South Ring Road ends at an interchange with the M8 to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

, the N8 to the city centre and the N25 to

Waterford City "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

via

Midleton Midleton (; , meaning "monastery at the weir") is a town in south-eastern County Cork, Ireland. It lies approximately 16 km east of Cork City on the Owenacurra River and the N25 road, which connects Cork to the port of Rosslare. A satellit ...

and

Youghal Youghal ( ; ) is a seaside resort town in County Cork, Ireland. Located on the estuary of the River Blackwater, the town is a former military and economic centre. Located on the edge of a steep riverbank, the town has a long and narrow layout. ...

Kinsale Road Roundabout upgrade

On 4 August 2006, a flyover of the Kinsale Road Roundabout was opened to traffic 6 months ahead of schedule. The project cost 55 million euro and consists of 3 lanes eastbound, 2 lanes west-bound and four on/off-ramps connecting the dual-carriageway to the roundabout.

Bandon Road Roundabout and Sarsfield Road Roundabout upgrade

On 12 March 2010, the NRA confirmed that both the Bandon Road Roundabout and the Sarsfield Road Roundabout would have flyovers built, with traffic travelling on the Cork South Ring Road being able to avoid both roundabouts when staying on the mainline. While minor work on this scheme had already commenced in 2008, full construction started on 6 July 2011 and was completed in July 2013. As well as two flyovers being built, the dual carriageway between both roundabouts will be upgraded and straightened with two access roads being built on either side for local access.

Cork North Ring Road

A Cork North Ring Road is in the planning phase with a number of different routes having been proposed. The road will run from

Glanmire Glanmire () is a suburban town from Cork city centre, in the civil parish of Rathcooney, County Cork, Ireland. Glanmire is within the administrative area of Cork City Council and the Dáil constituency of Cork North-Central. The greater Gl ...

to the junction of the N40 and the N22 in

. Upon completion, it is likely that this stretch of high quality dual carriage/motorway will be designated as part of the N40. In addition, a stretch of motorway presently designated as the M8 may also be redesignated as the N40, meaning the N40 will completely encircle the inner city and city centre.

List of exits

References