TII dash councillor’s hopes of a Thurles bypass anytime soon

Transport Infrastructure Ireland has said they cannot fund an outer bypass for Thurles as it is not on the National Development Plan.

This is according to Director of Services for Roads, Transportation, Active Travel, Health and Safety, Marcus O’Connor, who was responding to comments made by Thurles councillor Seamus Hanafin at a recent sitting of Tipperary County Council.

Tipperary County Council met with TII in late November to discuss road priorities for the county.

Cllr Hanafin said no progress had been made on the bypass despite repeated motions by Thurles councillors. He called on the council to make it a priority within it’s current term.

“We are talking about a bypass in Thurles as long as a Bridge in Ballina,” said Cllr Hanafin. Cllr Hanafin said TII could not “wash their hands of it.”

“It’s not acceptable for them to say they have no responsibility,” said Cllr Hanafin.

However, Mr O’Connor responded to the call, saying TII’s hands were tied.

“To be fair, TII didn’t say they were washing their hands of it. They said if it’s not in the National Development Plan, they can’t fund it,” said Mr O’Connor.

He said councillors needed to keep it on the agenda for the next NDP. But Cllr Hanafin said councillors could only work within the forum they have, which is Tipperary County Council.

Cllr Jim Ryan supported Cllr Hanafin, saying the need for a bypass for Thurles has been raised in “council after the council.”

A feasibility study was carried out for an outer bypass for Thurles in 2011. According to the December 2022 Management

Report, a route was selected then, and a corridor was reserved. Tipperary County Council will continue to lobby for the bypass in the next National Development plan after 2030.

In October, Thurles-Templemore Municipal District council put the bypass forward as a priority for the aforementioned TII priority meeting.

Cllrs Seamus Hanafin and Sean Ryan called for it's inclusion based on increased traffic due to Mary Immaculate College's expansion.

They said it was great to see Thurles become an education hub, but they needed the road infrastructure to manage the increase in traffic in the town. A bypass was, therefore, a county priority.