New water mains to be installed in Carrick-on-Suir ahead of start of N24 upgrade project

A water mains replacement project is to take place in Carrick-on-Suir starting next month ahead of the commencement of the upgrade of 3.8km of the N24 running through the town in May.
Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District Engineer Willie Corby informed councillors of the plans for the installation of the new water mains at the District’s monthly meeting at Carrick-on-Suir Town Hall last Thursday.
The water mains project was announced as the council confirmed the long awaited upgrade of the N24 in Carrick-on-Suir was going to tender with work commencing in May. The project will involve rehabilitating 3.8km of the route’s surface and installation of a variety of road safety measures.
Mr Corby assured the town’s two councillors that the local business community will be consulted and kept informed about both the water mains and N24 upgrade projects and the traffic disruptions they will bring to the town
In relation to the water mains works, Mr Corby said he had been in detailed discussions with the council’s Water Services Department and it was planned to replace a number of sections of water mains from the Circle K Garage on Carrick’s Clonmel Road to the approach to O’Mahony Avenue.
It’s hoped to start the project immediately after the March Bank Holiday Weekend and finish it by May.
In relation to the N24 upgrade, Mr Corby said Transport Infrastructure Ireland has allocated approximately €3m to the project for this year with further funding to finish it expected next year. And he explained that €40,000 will be invested separately on repairs and road patching work on certain sections of the N24 in bad condition in Carrick in the next few months as it could be a year before the resurfacing works on the main upgrade project will be done.
Carrick-on-Suir Cllr Kieran Bourke welcomed the news that the revamp of the N24 in his hometown was going to start at last in May.
He stressed it would be crucial to keep the town and its commerce ticking while works took place on the N24 and it was critical to engage with the local business association.
Separately, he urged that two mini-roundabouts at the junctions at either end of O’Mahony Avenue in Carrick be repainted as soon as possible.
A lot of strangers driving through the town were not aware they were there as there was currently no markings on them. He complained he was promised a few weeks ago these roundabouts would be repainted.
“It’s a blessing no major accident has happened at those two particular junctions. It’s critical this is done,” he said.
Fellow Carrick-on-Suir Cllr David Dunne said it was great that a start date has been set for the N24 project but he was a bit taken aback about the upgrade to the water mains system.
In view of the disruption these works will cause, he requested the council to regularly update local councillors about them. “We will be the ones getting phone calls when these kick off,” he pointed out.
Mullinahone’s Cllr Kevin O’Meara also welcomed the impending upgrade of the N24 in Carrick as he considered the road surface on this section of the national route in the town to be the worst in the country. It was “absolutely scandalous”.
He also echoed the Carrick councillors’ calls to keep local businesses updated about the project’s progress and traffic disruptions.
Responding to Cllr Bourke’s complaint about the need to repaint the O’Mahony Avenue mini-roundabouts, Mr Corby said Transport Infrastructure Ireland assured him this work would be done by last week. He promised to chase the matter up and get the work done as quickly as possible.
Mr Corby mentioned that he received a “very irate” phone call from an individual about the roundabouts.