Tipperary Council lobbies minister for €2.5m to continue N24 Cahir to Waterford upgrade design

The Government has stalled on allocating €2.5m required this year to continue work on the route design for the upgraded N24 between Cahir and Waterford and Tipperary County Council has embarked on a campaign to pressurise the Transport Minister to sanction the funding.

The council has joined forces with Kilkenny County Council and Waterford City and County Council to intensively lobby Minister Eamon Ryan to allocate the funding to progress the project to the third and fourth phases of the planning and design process.

The preferred transport solution corridor for the N24 between Cahir and Waterford was announced in January.

The Council is half way through the planning and design process and an estimated €7.5m is required to complete that process, according to Council CEO Joe MacGrath.

A motion was unanimously passed at Tipperary County Council’s April meeting in Nenagh on Monday calling on the Minister to provide sufficient funding this year to progress the scheme and seeking a commitment for continued support for completing the fourth stage.

The motion, tabled by Council Cathaoirleach Cllr Ger Darcy, stated the Council “strongly requests” the Transport Minister to provide the funding required in view of its concerns about road safety for all using the N24, the economic benefit it will bring to the South East and the fact the preferred transport solution corridor is in line with national transport policy.

A similar motion was tabled at the April meetings of Kilkenny and Waterford City and County Council.

A joint letter signed by the cathaoirleach of the three local authorities is also being sent to Minister Ryan with the motions.
Council CEO Joe MacGrath told councillors he had been working closely with his colleagues in Kilkenny and Waterford since they became aware no funding was allocated to continue the design work on this section of the N24 project.

He and his colleagues co-signed a letter to the Minister requesting the funding but didn’t get the response they hoped for.

A meeting of the cathaoirligh of the three local authorities along with the cathaoirligh of every municipal district that section of the N24 passes through was then convened last week and agreed a number of actions to move the project forward.

“It goes without saying there is absolute unanimity across the region in relation to the importance of this project,” said Mr MacGrath.

“Let’s not forget the importance of the entire N24 to our region. It’s of huge significance in Tipperary, Waterford and Kilkenny. It connects the South East and the South West regions and the M7 and M8 motorways.”

He stressed that progressing the project was also vitally important to progress the proposed corridor for this section of the N24 to address concerns about road safety. There have been 42 fatalities and 89 serious incidents on the road.

He referred to the latest fatal road accident at Kilsheelan that claimed the life of Claire Kavanagh from Carrick-on-Suir and extended sympathy to her family and friends.

Mr MacGrath also pointed to the impact delaying the planning and design process will have on the owners of homes and land located within the preferred transport solution corridor.

“We can’t push the pause button now and leave everyone in a state of uncertainty. If we can get this through the planning process there will have to be a decision made by the Government in the future about funding. But at least get us to the point that it’s gone through the planning process,” he argued.

Carrick-on-Suir MD Cathaoirleach Cllr Kieran Bourke proposed that along with writing to Minister Ryan, the Council also request that a deputation from the local authority meet him face-to-face to press their case. Cashel Cllr Roger Kennedy suggested the deputation should include representatives from Kilkenny and Waterford local authorities, not just Tipperary.

Mr MacGrath agreed that if a deputation was to be sent to meet the Minister, it would have to be from the three local authorities. He explained it has been agreed to talk with Oireachtas members about discussing the issue with the Minister. They received a positive response (from the Minister) when this was done before.