A view of the proposed greenway upgrade including the reinstated railway bridge and access ramp.

Plans unveiled for the major upgrade of the Blackrock and Mahon greenway

Plans have been lodged for the upgrade of the Blackrock railway greenway with new access ramps and the reinstatement of the pedestrian bridge at the told Blackrock Railway Station.

Under the plans from Cork City Council, the pathway will be widened from three metres to five metres for the entire over the entire length of the existing greenway from Páirc Uí Chaoimh to Mahon.

A new ramp access will be built from the Marina to the greenway.

Improved access will be created from the Blackrock Road by reinstating the footbridge and building a new access ramp onto the old railway platform.

The widened greenway along Blackrock and Mahon with the new access from the Marina.

This will also allow for the creation of pedestrian access from Rockfield Avenue and the new homes in Eden.

The access ramps from the Skehard Road will also be upgraded.

However, the proposal to allow access to and from the greenway to the Rockfield estate will be opposed by residents, city councillor Terry Shannon has said.

He cited anti-social behaviour concerns from residents with people entering and leaving their estate

"Rockfield has always been a cul de sac so there is concern about allowing access," he said. "People would be able to enter and leave at all times of the day and night through the estate and this is the concern residents have," he said.

Along the length of the greenway, new CCTV cameras, seating, signage will be installed while landscaping works will involve the planting and landscaping will be

The project will take approximately 10 months to construct with an anticipated start date during the second quarter of 2020

Cork City Council has published the plans and are asking the public for their views on them.

They said the proposal aims to enhance the public realm and improve the level of service for users of the Passage Railway Greenway while highlighting the heritage of the former railway.

A view of the widened greenway and planned new access ramp from the Skehard Road.

In 2014, City Hall commissioned a transportation assessment for the South East of the city.

The assessment identified deficiencies along the current road network. It also noted the need for a shift in the area from the private car and identified that the best potential for that shift would be to cycling.

It set a target of 8% for the cycle mode share and suggested a package of projects aimed at achieving this target.

The Passage Railway Greenway was identified as a key transport corridor in the report as it has the potential to provide the best quality and most direct route for pedestrians and cyclists between the City Centre and Mahon.

It recommended various improvement measures to the greenway including the widening of the existing route, the provision of lighting and the improvement of access to the greenway.

The plans can be viewed at http://consult.corkcity.ie