The Clontarf to City Centre (C2CC) Active Travel Project has officially been opened by Dublin City Council.

The project connects the Royal Canal Greenway to the East Coast Trail and part of the Tolka Valley Greenway, providing a safe, pleasant and continuous segregated walking and cycling route from Howth to the city centre.  

This high-quality walk-wheel-cycle initiative has delivered 8km of upgraded pedestrian walkways, 6.8km of new cycle lanes, and 5.4km of upgraded bus lanes; with upgrades to nine major junctions and three pedestrian crossings.

In addition, there are two brand new pedestrian crossings connecting Fairview village to the park. Extensive public works have been conducted as part of this project; for instance, replacing 6.5km of century-old water mains and providing a 26km network of utilities for traffic, public lighting and ESB.  

The C2CC Project extends 2.7 km from the Clontarf Road / Alfie Byrne Road junction along North Strand Road to Amiens Street at Connolly Station.

This route is part of the Dublin City Council Active Travel Network, a key initiative designed to support Dublin's growing need for greener transport through improved walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport facilities. Speaking at the launch, Mr Eamon Ryan, TD, Minister for Environment, Climate, Communications and Transport, said: "It is great to be here today to launch this new Clontarf to City Centre Project as a safe, accessible 'highway' for cyclists and pedestrians and a great example of how active travel can completely transform the way people get into and out of their city.

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"Just standing here for a minute or two, you can see immediately by the numbers using it that it’s the type of people focused infrastructure that people want.

"For far too long we have let the car dominate our city and this has been no good for anybody. This is a clear signal that Dublin - just like other leading cities like Paris or London - is moving towards a better, cleaner, and greener future."

The C2CC Project is a clear demonstration of Dublin City Council's commitment to climate change adaptation measures and reducing our carbon footprint.

The project includes sustainable urban drainage (SUDS) to mitigate against flooding, over 280 new Public Lighting Columns with energy efficient LED fittings, and substantial greening measures including over 100 trees planted and 50 new planted areas, with over 4,600 shrubs and hedges.

The streetscape along the route has been significantly enhanced with eight new community plazas.  

Mr Paschal Donohoe TD, Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Development Plan Delivery and Reform, added: "My department will continue to invest in public infrastructure that delivers on objectives set out in the National Development Plan. 

"The Clontarf to City Centre Project is a good example of this. It is another step in ensuring that our communities are connected with high-quality, safer and inclusive infrastructure that supports more sustainable lifestyle choices.

"I am confident these facilities will be a catalyst for people to walk, wheel or cycle more often. This will lead to healthier communities and positively contribute to business activity."