Grafton Street Improvement Scheme

Dublin City Council yesterday launched the Grafton Street Improvement Scheme. The €4m project will see the street’s existing red brick surface replaced with high quality natural stone, new public lighting and street furniture. The stone will be granite in the main with a significant portion coming from the Dublin and Wicklow Mountains.

Works will begin in early June and finish in November 2014. They will play a key part in improving Grafton Street as a retail environment and a destination.

The full repaving is expected to take 18 months to complete. This includes an 8-week period during which works will cease in order to facilitate shoppers over the Christmas and New Year sales. The repaving is expected to finish in November 2014. The council will also install new public lighting and street furniture including sculptural pieces.

The following streets will be affected:

The Grafton Street Quarter is centred on Grafton Street and its supporting network of streets and spaces extending to one of the city’s premier squares - St. Stephen’s Green - to the south, Trinity College and another major public space - College Green - to the north, South Great George’s Street to the west and over to Dawson Street and Molesworth Street to the east. It corresponds to the Grafton Street Character Area highlighted in the Dublin City Development Plan 2011-2017 and connects into the city’s main civic thoroughfare linking the important retail, commercial and entertainment districts of Grafton Street, College Green and Temple Bar to O’Connell Street / Parnell Square, the Henry Street Area and the North Georgian City.

This is an estimation of when the different stages of the scheme will take place:

1 St. Stephen’s Green North to junction with Chatham Street June-Sept 2013

2 Nassau Street to junction with Wicklow Street Sept- Nov 2013

3 Wicklow Street to junction with Duke Street Jan-Apr 2014

4 Duke Street to junction with South Anne / Harry Street Apr-Aug 2014

5 South Anne / Harry Street to junction with Chatham Street Aug-Nov 2014

A traffic management plan has been agreed and co-ordinated with LUAS Cross City to minimise traffic disruptions.