R132 Connectivity Scheme

DBFL were appointed by Fingal County Council to provide transportation and civil engineering services for the upgrade of the R132 between Pinnock Hill & Estuary roundabouts in Swords in order to calm traffic and provide a more hospitable environment for pedestrians and cyclists.  This R132 Connectivity Project was designed to change the character and function of the R132 roadway in Swords from a National Primary Route to a high capacity, multimodal urban street.

The project prioritises pedestrian and cyclist safety by reallocating road space to create more space for nonmotorised transport. The project provides safe at-grade crossing points at key locations, provision of pedestrian and cycle lanes along the corridor and at junctions and improvements to bus infrastructure aligning with the MetroLink and BusConnects route planning in the area. 

Several policies and masterplans were developed by Fingal County Council and the NTA for sustainable transport options along the R132. DBFL carried out a thorough policy and scheme appraisal to ensure alignment of the transport proposals with local and strategic transport objectives for the corridor. DBFL developed a suite ofoptions for the proposed junction upgrades as well as the overall cross section realignment for the R132 corridor. 

A comprehensive options assessment process was also applied with continual engagement on the emerging proposals with key stakeholders such as Fingal County Council, NTA & TII (Metrolink).

DBFL has since been appointed on the subsequent phases of the R132 upgrade scheme. 

A traffic assessment was also undertaken to determine the impact to traffic operations given the changing nature of the road environment. Junctions were modelled using traffic software TRANSYT, to confirm vehicular capacity of re-designed intersections and optimal layouts that support safe pedestrian and cycle crossings.  

A Local Area Model was produced to derive existing and future flows of vehicular traffic as well as active modes to ensure that the designs were suitable to accommodate future travel demands particularly following completion of Metrolink which will run directly adjacent to the scheme. Cycle lanes and pedestrian footpaths were designed according to the emerging updated NCM and DMURS design standards and workshopped with the NTA for final approval.