Tipperary roadworks: Borrisokane work finally gets go-ahead as council seeks tender

The much awaited documents for the resurfacing of the main street in Borrisokane and the its approach roads have eventually gone out to tender.

District manager Marcus O'Connor told councillors this week that Transport Infrastructure Ireland had given the final approval to go to tender and the documents were advertised on eTenders this Monday, with a closing date of July 27.

Delays in getting the documents out led to heated exhanges at the June meeting of Nenagh Municipal District Council last week when district manager told councillors he expected to “hit the button” and send the documents to eTender with an anticipated closing date of July 27.

However, Cllr Joe Hannigan was sceptical of the time frame saying it would “take a hell of a long time to price that up”.

He criticised the TII for bundling the work into the one contract, saying the State agency had allowed people to come into town to “wreck their wheels”.

“We are the laughin g stock of the entire country. The impression given is that we are in a Third World situation,” said Cllr Hannigan. “Somebody needs a kick up the ass.”

He suggested bringing Minister for Transport Shane Ross to Borrisokane and taking him on a spin around the town at 50mph in his own car.

Cllr Hannigan was backed by fellow local councillor Michael O'Meara who believed the work will be hit by further delays.

“I don't blame the council for anything, I blame the TII,” said Cllr O'Meara.

He called for a time line on how long the work will take after the tenders have closed.

“I admit there were objections, but the big worry is that we are heading into the winter,” he said.

Cllr Ger Darcy also had concerns over the time frame for getting tenders back.

The three councillors, along with Cllr Seamus Morris, called for the work to start at both approach roads ahead of resurfacing Main Street.

However, Mr O'Connor said he wanted to “set the record straight as people have short memories”.

He said the council had been lobbying TII to get the work done.

“We did a design and went to Part 8 but we couldn't get agreement. We did a second Part 8 and some who objected to the delays also objected to the scheme. The next issue will be the dust and the muck,” he said.

The manager said the council went to TII and they said to do it altogether “and they would be right not to agree to it being split”.

Mr O'Connor said that a five-week tendering process was normal for a project as large as Borrisokane.

He said the project will take between 12 and 18 months but that it will “transform Borrisokane”.