Tipperary TD welcomes commencement of work on the county's newest river crossing

Tipperary TD Alan Kelly has welcomed the announcement that work has got underway on the proposed new river Shannon crossing between Ballina and Killaloe.

The commencement of works comes just months after there were fears it could be delayed due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a subsequent spiralling of costs and shortage of materials.

The Labour TD, who as Minister for the Environment in 2015 set aside over €40m for the project, said that he was delighted at long last to see the commencement of works on the new bridge.

“This project has been an absolute priority for me all my political career,” he said.

Deputy Kelly said that, as Minister, he had ensured that the project had been put in the capital plan.

“That’s how we have got to this day. There have been many ups and downs with legal objections and delays but the preliminary works that began in 2020 showed this project would go ahead. Now that all issues have been resolved with the contractor it has finally begun,” he said.

The TD, who hails from Portroe village close to Ballina, said that he had spent a significant amount of time over the last week informing locals about this progress as many had questions when they saw works commencing.

“I want to thank the Office of Government Procurement, Clare and Tipperary county councils and the Department of Transport for getting this work commenced, said Deputy Kelly.

Current works include surface stripping to allow for archaeological checks, the creation of a temporary access road and escalating for pilling of supports on the riverbed.

“I expect construction to go on until late 2024. I have been in touch with the council and An Garda Síochána regarding the traffic management plan for the area during this construction phase. There will be challenges but we will get through them,” he said.

Deputy Kelly said that the benefits of the project were enormous to the locality, economically and socially.