Thurles TD Jackie Cahill is lashing out at Tipperary County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland(TII)for the slow progress in delivering the Thurles Inner Relief project which includes a new bridge over the River Suir near Clongour. The project was granted planning permission in 2014. Tipperary County Council have not purchased the necessary land for the project and Deputy Cahill says the Council needs to use a Compulsory Purchase Order to secure the remaining land in question.
Deputy Cahill’s intervention comes following an incident in Thurles earlier this week resulting in serious injuries for a pedestrian after a collision involving a HGV vehicle entering Liberty Square on the N62 road heading south.
The N62 and the N75 both pass through the town centre and congestion is increased further by local traffic as there is only one bridge for vehicles. The Inner Relief Road could reduce traffic on the Suir Bridge by 15%.
A bypass for the town was proposed in the 1950s, in 2011 a potential route was identified but the project is not included in the National Development Plan(NDP) and Tipperary County Council says lobbying to have the project in the next NDP is essential if it is to be funded. A Draft Local Area Transport Plan currently out for consultation supports the delivery of the By Pass.
Funding of €75,000 was provided earlier this year from the Regional and Local Roads Programme for design work to be undertaken on the Inner Relief Road to link Clongour to the Mill Road – the road would also enable a new access road to the Mary Immaculate College Campus which is being sought by the College to enable expansion plans.
In a statement to Tipp Mid-West Radio today, Transport Infrastructure Ireland(TII) says the “Thurles Inner Relief road is a Regional Road Project being development by Tipperary County Council. Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) oversees the National Roads Network. According to TII the Thurles Inner Relief project in not a national road project, but TII will continue to engage with Tipperary County Council on progressing the national roads programme throughout the County.”
Deputy Cahill is encouraging the public to participate in the current consultation in respect of a Thurles Development Plan including a Local Transport Strategy. A drop in information session is to be held on August 29th at the Source Arts Centre in Thurles between 3 and 7pm and the closing date for submissions is September 11th. Full details can be found at this link here.
