Dublin Port has today announced the appointment of world-renowned Grafton Architects to design the Liffey-Tolka Project, a new 1.4 km dedicated cycle and pedestrian route linking the River Liffey with the Tolka Estuary.

This new public realm will run through Dublin Port lands on the east side of East Wall Road and along Bond Road. The new linear space ranges from twelve metres to nine metres wide and will be an extension of the campshires on North Wall Quay.

The Liffey-Tolka Project will enable people to walk and cycle from the Liffey to the start of the Tolka Estuary Greenway.

The Tolka Estuary Greenway is a 3.2 km route along the northern perimeter of Dublin Port overlooking the Tolka Estuary. Construction of Phase 1 (1.9 km) will start next month and works will be completed by Spring 2022. Phase 2 (1.3 km) will be constructed over the following five years as part of large port infrastructure projects to deliver additional Ro-Ro freight capacity at the eastern end of Dublin Port.

Dublin Port Company will apply to Dublin City Council for planning permission for the Liffey-Tolka Project by April 2021 with a target to commence construction by September 2021 and to complete the works by the third quarter of 2022. The new route will include a dedicated walking & cycling bridge over the busy Promenade Road, the route that links Dublin Port to the Port Tunnel and one of the most heavily trafficked roads in the country.

“Within two years, we will have completed a dedicated cycle network throughout Dublin Port and along most of the Port’s perimeter. Doing this in a small but extremely busy port requires great design and we are delighted to be working with Grafton Architects as we take on a unique challenge to integrate Dublin Port with Dublin City,” Eamonn O’Reilly, Chief Executive of Dublin Port Company said.

“The currently hostile East Wall Road will become a linear Civic Space. This will form a new sense of entry to the City when travelling from the North and from the Dublin Port Tunnel,” says Shelly McNamara of Grafton Architects. “The pavement area will increase from a two metre width to twelve metres, offering a safe pleasurable landscaped space for people to walk or cycle. This will be a new Urban Amenity for day to day use and for enjoyment in times of leisure.”