Tipperary Council seeks meeting with minister to press for funding of N24 route design

Tipperary County Council is seeking a meeting between a deputation of its senior elected members and Transport Minister Eamon Ryan to press for funding to continue design work on the N24 upgrade between Limerick Junction and Waterford.

Tipperary Cahir Cashel Municipal District Cathaoirleach Cllr John Crosse’s proposal to send a deputation to meet the Minister was unanimously approved at the Council’s July meeting after councillors from communities along the N24 route voiced concerns about the Government’s continued stalling on sanctioning funding to further progress the project.

County Council Cathaoirleach Cllr Declan Burgess said the deputation proposal was a very good idea as the upgrade of the N24 was a “very crucial project” for the county. He had raised the issue with the Taoiseach when he met him.
The N24 route design is divided into two separate projects with design work currently continuing on the Cahir to Limerick Junction section but stalled in relation to the Cahir to Waterford section.

Tipperary County Council management believe political pressure most urgently needs to be brought to bear in relation to the N24 Cahir to Waterford design project as the Government failed to allocate the €2.5m required this year to progress it to the third and fourth phases of planning and design.

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.

Meanwhile, just €650,000 of the €3.5m required to further progress the Cahir to Limerick Junction design work has so far been allocated but work is still continuing on that project.

Tipperary Town Cllr Annemarie Ryan (SF) was first to raise the N24 project at the Council’s monthly meeting when she requested an update on funding for the Cahir to Limerick Junction section.

Cashel Cllr Roger Kennedy supported her concern about securing the next tranche of funding. It was not good or productive that the design work would be called off and started again in a piecemeal way, he argued.

He also called on the Council to press for the N24 to be upgraded to a motorway like the M20 from Limerick to Cork recently announced. He argued a dual carriageway was safer and brought a 20% economic benefit, particularly for HGVs getting from A to B faster.

“Surely the N24 from Limerick to Waterford is equally as important and strategic a road and it links the M8 and M7. It should be reviewed,” he declared.

Independent Cllr John O’Heney also voiced concern about the shortfall in funding for the N24 Cahir to Limerick Junction design work and urged the council to push this project at every possible opportunity.

Clonmel Fianna Fáil Cllr Siobhán Ambrose raised again her objection to the N24 Cahir to Waterford design team’s decision not to include a bypass of Clonmel in its plans and instead upgrade the Clonmel Inner Relief Road but keeping it as a single carriageway.

She highlighted how the Clonmel Inner Relief Road was constantly log jammed with traffic and warned the changes proposed for it under the N24 route design will not be sufficient.

“It’s a huge conversation we need to have,” she said and wondered if the “change of guard” in the leadership of the Green Party would make a difference.

She asked the Council to meet the Transport Minister in relation to seeking a review of the plans for the Clonmel section of the N24 upgrade.

Cllr Crosse followed this up by proposing the Council write to Minister Ryan and seek a meeting with him and a “top of the table” deputation from the Council about the N24 project.

The Council’s Director of Roads Services Liam Brett responded that the progress of the design of the western end of the N24 route was more positive as it’s still progressing.

“We are still being told to go ahead with the work (on the Cahir to Limerick Junction design) and I am sure the funding will follow. The eastern end is completely different. At the moment it’s completely shelved. All the design work is essentially stalled.”

He pointed out that two previous design projects for this section of the route were also shelved.

Mr Brett said the Council will continue to push the project with Transport Infrastructure Ireland and seek funding for the continuation of the Cahir to Waterford section to phase three and four of planning and to An Bord Pleanála for planning approval.

He said the Council was seeking the support of councillors with its efforts to progress the Cahir to Waterford design work.

In relation to the Clonmel Inner Relief Road, he said he knew there were specific concerns about the design but the Council’s challenge was to keep the project alive. “That has to be our first battle,” he advised.