New bridge for cyclists and pedestrians “critical” to route linking Blanchardstown and Phoenix Park

At a quarter to six on Monday evening, 22-year-old Oliwer Rzepkowski got off the train at Castleknock Station, returning from his first day of final-year classes at Trinity. 

From here, he would soon hop on his bike and cycle home to Mulhuddart.

He hadn’t heard of the decade-old plan to create a cycle path from Blanchardstown to Phoenix Park, which could improve his trip home from class.

It’s part of a big, long-term plan to build the Greater Dublin Area Cycle Network, which would include a bunch of routes radiating from the city centre. 

“Route 5”, in the 2013 version of the plan, was to go from the Docklands along the quays to Heuston Station, up through Phoenix Park and on to Blanchardstown. 

Cycle infrastructure along stretches of that route has already been improved since then, including along the quays, and through the park.

As for the segment from the park to Blanchardstown, the next step is a new pedestrian and cycle bridge next to the Granard Bridge, Fingal County Council engineer Linda Lally told Labour Councillor John Walsh recently.

Lally called this “the most critical section” of the Phoenix Park to Blanchardstown cycle route. 

The arched stone Granard Bridge, built about 1810, takes the Castleknock Road over the train tracks and the Royal Canal, just metres away from the Castleknock railway station. 

At the moment, there are narrow footpaths, and one motor-vehicle lane going each direction, but no cycle lanes.

Putting in a better crossing over the bridge for cyclists would be “great”, says Rzepkowski. “One hundred percent, I would be more likely to use it.” 

“As a cyclist, honestly, I feel a little bit in danger every time I'm on this humpback bridge,” he said.

Update

On 4 September, Walsh, the Labour councillor, had brought a motion asking about the progress of the cycle route at the Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart/Castleknock/Ongar Area Committee meeting.

The Blanchardstown to Phoenix Park cycle path was first proposed in 2014, before he was a councillor, Walsh said, but was delayed by financial concerns. “It’s very positive that that scheme is going ahead,” he said.

In October 2024, the council announced that it had signed an agreement with RPS Consulting Engineers worth €5 million to work on pedestrian and cycle routes in the Dublin 15 area.

As part of this, RPS are working on the Granard Bridge project, the council has said. “The new Pedestrian and Cycling Scheme at Granard Bridge will cross the Dublin Maynooth railway and Royal Canal, adjacent to the existing road bridges over the canal and railway, with access for pedestrians and cyclists only,” the council has said. 

“It will provide a minimum clear width of 4.50 metres wide, with access for pedestrians and cyclists only, including wind protection, night lighting and high-quality detailing and execution,” the council has said.

The council’s capital programme for 2025 to 2027 says the council spent €100,000 on the project in 2024 and plans to spend €175,000 in 2025, €375,000 in 2026 and  €600,000 in 2027.

Lally, in her written response to Walsh’s query, said that the project would “improve pedestrian and cycle safety at Granard Bridge and further promote the use of more sustainable travel patterns, in line with Government Policy and the cycle network plan for the greater Dublin area”.

“The scheme design will include for a Pedestrian and Cycling link from the new Bridge north to the Roselawn Road/Castleknock Road junction and south to the Laurel Lodge Road/Castleknock Road junction tying into the existing junction’s infrastructure and linking also into the Castleknock Train Station,” she wrote.

What’s next? 

After the meeting, on the phone, Walsh said he lives close to Granard Bridge. 

“The humpback bridge is just not suited for the level of traffic that it currently gets, and it's very unsafe for cyclists, pedestrians, and, you know, vulnerable road users," he said.

Rzepkowski, the student, said: “This is a trend in old Irish roads. They just aren’t accustomed to today's standards, where vehicles are larger … people also have different means of bike transport … not only pedal bikes, but also scooters.”

Walsh said that, while he’s happy to hear about plans towards progress at this congested bridge, he’s concerned that the report back from Lally is “entirely focused” on Granard Bridge. 

Beyond that, progress is vague.

“Really, the discussion of the Blanchardstown-Phoenix Park cycle path is very limited,” he said. “Unfortunately, there's currently no proposal for design and construction of the overall cycle path, and crucially, there's no funding for it.” 

Clash of plans?

Even as the plan for a new Granard Pedestrian and Cycling Bridge is moving forward, so too is the DART+ West project, an electrified commuter rail project from the city centre to Maynooth. 

That route goes right through Dublin 15, including stopping at Castleknock. And it includes closing four level crossings in this area, along the way: Ashtown, Coolmine, Porterstown and Clonsilla.  

In 2021, the government said the project would cost about €1 billion. At the time, the plan was to apply to An Bord Pleanála for a railway order for the project in 2022.

The application for a railway order was lodged in July 2022, and approved in July 2024, with a view to finishing it up in maybe 2029 or so. 

At the 4 September local area committee meeting, Fine Gael Councillor Ted Leddy said he was concerned that the overlapping plans for the area weren’t coordinated enough. 

“We've got our own massive active travel plans in the area, and then, of course, Dart West,” he said. He said he wanted to make sure they don’t interfere with each other and cause delays, he said. 

Also, when the level crossings are closed, that’s going to force more motor vehicle traffic across the Granard Bridge, Leddy says.  

“So it’s crucial that the new pedestrian cycle bridge is constructed in the next two to three years, in advance of the Dart West project,” Walsh said later on the phone.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.