South Circular Road / Brookfield Road Junction Upgrade

This scheme aims to facilitate pedestrian and cycle access to St. James’ Hospital, as well as the new National Children’s Hospital ahead of its opening. Scheme benefits are as follows:

• Improve pedestrian access to and from St. James’ Hospital and the National Children’s Hospital by adding a new signalised crossing on South Circular Road
• Enhance safety of pedestrians and cyclists with a protected junction
• Improve walking and cycling connections to the Kilmainham to Thomas Street Active Travel Scheme and Rialto Luas station at James’ Walk
• Encourage increased levels of walking and cycling for staff and visitors to St. James’ Hospital and the new National Children’s Hospital

Cyclists are most vulnerable at junctions, with almost half of serious injuries and a quarter of fatalities occurring at a junction[1]. By changing South Circular Road / Brookfield Road Junction to a protected junction, which separates cyclists, pedestrians and drivers, we aim to improve the safety of people walking and cycling in this area and encourage more people to actively travel. 

By making it possible for more visitors and staff to walk and cycle to St. James’ Hospital and the National Children’s Hospital, the scheme will reduce traffic congestion and free up space for necessary vehicles.

There are active travel and public transport routes that connect into this area – for instance, the Kilmainham to Thomas Street Active Travel Scheme and the Rialto Luas station at James' Walk. This junction upgrade, which forms part of the wider Kilmainham to Ballsbridge South City Loop Scheme, will provide a link to these routes, facilitating safe and continuous walking and cycling journeys.

This scheme forms part of Dublin City Council’s overall 314km Active Travel Network which aims to transform the way people travel in the city to achieve multiple benefits including:

• Reduced pollution and carbon emissions
• Improved physical and mental health and well-being
• More connected communities
• More pleasant environments
• Stimulated local business activity 

[1]https://www.rsa.ie/docs/default-source/road-safety/r2---statistics/anal…

Dublin City Council consults with the public about all new schemes. It is important for us to gather the opinions and knowledge of the people who live and work in the local area. This is to ensure that each scheme meets the needs of those who are most affected by it. 

Public consultation will occur after the Preliminary Design phase, from 5th June - 2nd July 2025. We invite people to let us know their thoughts on the scheme by filling out a survey on our online consultation platform, emailing us or sending feedback by post. 

We will promote the consultation using different channels including:

• Sending information leaflets to local residents and businesses
• Website and social media posts
• Emailing information to local councillors, area offices, and community groups
• Displaying design drawings in local venues:
  • St. Andrew’s Community Centre, 468 South Circular Road, Rialto, Dublin 8, D08 H51F
  • F2 Centre, 3 Reuben Plaza, Rialto, Dublin 8, D08 PV0H

Once the public consultation closes for comments, the responses will be reviewed, and designs will be further developed before construction. A Public Consultation Report will be produced which will be published on this webpage. 

Updates will be provided on this webpage throughout the delivery of the scheme. People can also register for DCC Alerts to receive updates by email or text. 

In addition, Dublin City Council conducts a separate process for consulting with Disabled Person’s Organisations / Disabled Person’s Representative Organisations (DPOs/DPROs).

The project is being funded by the National Transport Authority.

Traffic analysis carried out as part of the design process indicates no significant impacts of the scheme on traffic at the junction.

The scheme will seek to minimise the loss of trees where possible. An arborist has been appointed to carry out a tree survey and to assess the possible impacts. The arborist will also develop a tree protection plan as the design progresses to ensure protective measures are in place during construction.

No changes are proposed to the existing parking on South Circular Road as part of the scheme.

The first phase of the South City Loop scheme focuses on upgrading the South Circular Road-Brookfield Road junction ahead of the new Children’s Hospital opening. Future works will enhance walking and cycling infrastructure, linking the junction to Rialto and extending to Ballsbridge via Crumlin, Kimmage, Harold’s Cross, Rathmines, Ranelagh, and Donnybrook.

During this phase, a short gap in the segregated cycle track on Mountshannon Road will remain. Two traffic lanes—approximately 60 metres—will be maintained to ensure emergency vehicles have efficient access to the hospitals.

The current estimate is Q4 2025. The intention is to complete the work before the full opening of the new National Children’s Hospital. 

The current estimate for construction is four to six months. More detailed information on the construction programme will be available once the tender process has been finished. 

Throughout the construction process, we will ensure to minimise disruption to the local community as much as possible. We will keep the community updated on works through various means including:

• Regularly updating this webpage
• Social media posts
• DCC Alerts notifications