Appeal made for action to be taken to allow people to cross bridge in Ardfinnan safely

The parish priest in Ardfinnan has made an impassioned plea to those in authority and elected representatives to do all they can to put in place a solution to the Ardfinnan Bridge project to ensure people can cross safely.

He made his call in advance of a public meeting to be held in Ardfinnan tonight, Thursday June 15, following the refusal of the National Road authority to provide funding for an independent walkway as recommended by consultants engaged  by Tipperary County Council.

“We are not looking for a Golden Gate Bridge -  we are simply asking for the right to be able to cross our beautiful village and its river safely," said Fr Michael Toomey.

Fr Toomey issued the following statment on the issue -  

"Since coming to Ardfinnan almost three years ago I have been struck by the overwhelming love, loyalty, and support of so many residents in maintaining our beautiful village. I pay tribute to all those who work every day of the year to make it such a wonderful place for its residents and its visitors.

A few weeks ago, a group of people came from Dublin to Ardfinnan to see the village and to call in to the church as they had seen it on the television celebrating weekly mass. They were struck by the beauty of the village and the friendliness of its people. One of them asked me what are they doing to the bridge with all the road works? I replied “Nothing!  It's what we have to put up with”.

Before I arrived in Ardfinnan I was aware of the issue with the traffic lights at the bridge.  Many visits have taken place by senior politicians and officials and many promises of getting a resolution and agreeing that something needs to be done and I know much will be discussed and explained tonight. 

But the bottom line is this: 

We don't want any more visits or promises or have our hopes built up and dashed again. As I said to Michéal Martin on his visit here when he was Taoiseach:  “We are not looking for a Golden Gate Bridge -  we are simply asking for the right to be able to cross our beautiful village and its river safely”.

For many people, this bridge is a stunning, ageing structure which adds to the beauty and uniqueness to our village. It is our main access in and out of the village and we cannot do without it functioning fully for much longer.

So I ask, have Tipperary County Council submitted the requested documents and plans, and if so, why has the NTA not considered this, as raised by the Minister of Transport and what is needed to reach an agreement to get this back on the NTA’s Active Travel Plan?

I am further concerned over the report in the Nationalist this week at the recent Tipperary County Council meeting that Marcus O'Connor was reported that the National Transport Authority have now clearly stated they are not going to fund the bridge despite calls from our current Tánaiste and from the Minister of Transport Eamon Ryan to commit to having this issue resolved. 

A further comment that the bridge is “not justified” or that it would be “not used often enough” is outrageous. I can only read into this that, the people of Ardfinnan, are not a priority, especially when it comes to the safety of our children and residents? 

So much money has already been spent into the consultation and the NTA are not even taking these recommendations on board.

While I am sure there are reasons behind this, the people and visitors of Ardfinnan are the ones who are being left stranded and high and dry. This has gone on for far too long. Safety concerns have already been risen for many years and the impact that it is having on our beautiful village.

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I  call on Tipperary County Council the NTA the National Roads Authority and the Minister for Transport and other government ministers and elected representatives to do what it can to resolve this issue now, and to investigate fully why the NTA have decided this is not a priority for them, and to encourage them to relook at what has been done so far. It seems very dismissive that this department has taken this stance, despite calls from the current Tánaiste and former Taoiseach, our TD’s, elected councilors, but most importantly, the community of Ardfinnan. 

I urge all those who we have elected, and those whose job it is to provide safety on our roads, to do their job! Make this a priority now because it has gone on for far to long."