N62 Slievenamon Road Phase two improvement plan approved

Thurles councillors have approved the design for the N62 Slievenamon Phase Two Road Improvement Scheme.

The plan was approved at a special sitting of Thurles Municipal District council on Friday.

The €3 million plan involves the rehabilitation of 447m of pavement, replacing footpaths and improving crossings and build-outs. Parking for easier access to local businesses is also included in the plan.

The design was proposed by Cllr Seamus Hanafin and seconded by Cllr Micheál Lowry.

CONSULTATION
The phase two plan was created in consultation with local businesses and residents on the street.

The consultation process took place in July 2022, and the council received 14 submissions and held three workshops.

Following on from the submissions, Tipperary County Council spoke to some of the local businesses on the road and made a number of changes in accordance with their concerns. Those changes are as follows:

High-quality pavement is to be used on both sides of the street on the section closest to Liberty Square.

At the Centra filling station and Premier Meats, the council is creating separate entrances in and out of the site.

The back carpark is to be opened up and set down parking spaces are to be provided in front of the station.

The spaces, currently part of the Garda station parking, have been authorised by An Garda Siochána to return to public use in the redesign.

The bicycle stands at the deli are to be moved slightly to accommodate a second parking spot.

A landscaping design is in progress for the roundabout at Dunnes Stores.

A section of the path close to Dunnes Stores will be provided with planters to prevent unauthorised parking.

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HAPPIER
Cllr Seamus Hanafin welcomed the consultation and subsequent changes. However, he said he was “happier but not necessarily happy.”

He said the consultation was needed to alleviate some of the anxiety business had over the plan’s first draft.

He said the current design had ‘significant improvements’ and acknowledged the contributions of local businesses.

Cllr Micheál Lowry praised the consultation process saying it was essential for the public to be able to contribute.

“Dialogue with those on the street is paramount.

“The more information that’s in the public domain, the easier it is for people to understand the decisions being made,” said Cllr Lowry.

Cllr Jim Ryan welcomed the changes and said the consultation process is something they could learn from.

“Businesses may not have gotten everything, but they got a fair whack at it,” said Cllr Ryan.

Cllr Sean Ryan said he agrees with the sentiments expressed previously and welcomed the local contributions.

CONSTRUCTION
Due to the success of the consultation process, a number of councillors said it should end at the design phase.

Cllr Lowry said that the next phase was “critical for the project's success”. He said the next big challenge will be traffic management.

“Traffic flow is problematic, to say the least,” said Cllr Lowry.

He said a balance would need to be found between the interests of the plan and the businesses affected.

Cllr Hanafin said the council needed to minimise the effect on businesses and residents.

“This is just the start because now there will be great disruption,” said Cllr Hanafin. Cllr Jim Ryan called for the council to “keep the lines of communication open during the construction phase.”

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

Thurles Cathaoirleach Peggy Ryan said the funding will go a long way to addressing some of the issues on the road. She added that she hoped once the project was finished, it would encourage people to support the town.

Thurles Municipal District, Eamon Lonergan said the plan was a “very important part of the jigsaw for Thurles.” He added there are big future plans for not only Thurles but Roscrea and Templemore.

Director of Services for Roads, Transportation, Active Travel, Health and Safety, Marcus O’Connor said he was happy to see the scheme approved.

He added that he was aware they are dealing with people’s livelihoods when they make these plans.

He thanked those who developed the plan for their hard work.