Construction has begun for a new cycle and pedestrian route that will finally connect the River Liffey to Dublin Port and its ferry terminals. The Dublin Port Company’s Liffey-Tolka project will create a 1.4km route linking the existing Liffey cycle paths with the Tolka Estuary Greenway, which opened in September 2024.
The route will run from the riverside at the Tom Clarke (East Link) Bridge, northwards alongside East Wall Road and Bond Road, to the southern shore of the Tolka Estuary opposite Clontarf. The two-way cycle path will be built within the existing port lands, allowing cyclists to avoid the busy six-lane highway running from the Liffey into the Dublin Tunnel.
This initiative is part of a broader €25 million plan to develop more than 16km of cycle routes through Dublin Port, opening the area to the public. The project will also enhance recreational access to the port while preserving key heritage features.
The route’s southern entrance will feature North Wall Square, a new civic space created by removing the large steel gates beside the Tom Clarke Bridge. From there, cyclists and pedestrians will move north past the Port Centre buildings, the maritime gardens, and the port museum, experiencing both the working port and its historic structures.
At Alexandra Road, the only point where the route intersects with traffic, a new signalised crossing will be installed, giving priority to cyclists and pedestrians. North of this crossing, the path continues through a tree-lined boulevard toward Bond Road, where a new cycle bridge will be constructed over Promenade Road, one of the port’s main access routes from the tunnel. Beyond the bridge, the route will extend about 150 metres to meet the Tolka Estuary Greenway, which links East Point Business Park to the ferry terminals.
The project will be developed in two phases. The first section, from North Wall Square to Alexandra Road, is scheduled for completion by summer 2027. The second phase, which includes the bridge over Bond Road, is expected to be finished by 2030. “Phase two includes a bridge that is still in design, though we already have planning permission,” said Lar Joye, Dublin Port’s heritage director. “Building bridges is more complex specialist work than the rest of the greenway, but the first phase will be a major step in connecting the city to the port.”
The development will also involve the partial removal of the current port wall, with the boundary moving about 15 metres into the port to make space for a segregated cycle and pedestrian path, complete with a green margin. Parts of the Victorian wall will be preserved for heritage reasons, while the 20th-century boundary will be replaced with railings to maintain separation from port operations.
Speaking ahead of the sod-turning, Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien said the project “demonstrates how a working port and a growing city can successfully coexist.” Dublin Port CEO Barry O’Connell highlighted that the route will improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians along East Wall Road, while Dublin City Council chief executive Richard Shakespeare added that the route will connect to the city’s East Coast trail, linking Sutton to Sandycove, and significantly enhance amenities for residents and visitors alike.
