'We've lost lives' - Tipperary Councillor speaks on importance of plans for new bypass

Tipperary County Councillor Jim Ryan has expressed his great elation with the news that plans for a Thurles bypass are to be included in the updated National Development Plan.

The updated plan is due to be published on November 25.

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A Thurles bypass has been a hot topic of discussion in the town for a number of years, with traffic congestion and dangerous vehicles driving through the town centre being at the forefront of the discussion.

Speaking with Tipperary Live on the matter, Cllr Ryan said that he was happy to see many years of hard work pay off, and that it is now crucial to see the project completed.

“I’m happy with the news that broke that the Government are going to put the Thurles Bypass project in the revised National Development Plan. It's something we've been looking for since 2011. You know, a lot of hard work has gone in over the years by local politicians, by the traders, by the Chamber of Commerce in Thurles, by the residents of Thurles. So it's a great news day to see that our concerns and voices have been listened to. So it's a good news day for Thurles. Obviously we have a long way to go before we see construction starting but at least now we are in the National Development Plan and that will be officially announced on the 25th of November, so we look forward to that. So obviously the onus now is on getting the plans drawn up, revised plans drawn up for the route for the bypass, get planning for it, get the funding for it, get the land purchased, and then get it constructed, so look, I just want to compliment everybody involved, this is something that the town came together on for many years now looking for it so hopefully this is a good news story for Thurles.”

Regarding the timeframe of the project, Cllr Ryan said that it is still early days, stating that, although it is great for the town to have the project included in the National Development Plan, there is still much work to be done before the project is completed.

“It's only after reaching us today that it’ll be in the National Development Plan, so we’ll have to wait until the 25th of November, I suppose, to see exactly where we stand in relation to funding and how far ahead, you know, we're going to have to wait for the start of the construction, but look, obviously, new plans are going to have to be drawn up, planning permission is going to have to be got, and land is going to have to be purchased obviously, so it's going to take a number of years. We’ll be hoping to get all the relevant bodies, our politicians in the Dáil, the Ministers, the Government to you know, push this very, very necessary project along for Thurles as quickly as possible.”

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On the importance of the bypass, Cllr Ryan cited the numerous lives that have been lost in the town over the years, stating that the bypass will work to alleviate stress on the town caused by heavy goods vehicles, aiding in ensuring that incidents such as these become a thing of the past.

“We've lost lives in the centre of Thurles down throughout the years, people have died tragically in Thurles town centre down throughout the years from heavy good vehicles knocking them down. So I suppose out of respect for those people who died or memories or families, you know, we needed to get this bypass and we have it now in the National Development Plan, so now, all we can do is ensure that our politicians in the Dáil get the necessary funding and process this long-awaited project as quickly as possible.”

On his role in driving this development forward, Cllr Ryan spoke of the work he has carried out over the years with other members of the County Council and the townspeople of Thurles, and how it is great to see their work recognised.

“I’m a councillor for 26 years, I'm from the town of Thurles, I've lived in Thurles all my life, I work in Thurles, I've seen on a daily basis, you know, the town choked up with traffic, particularly with heavy goods vehicles coming into the town centre, so obviously as a councillor from Thurles, I've been pushing this as hard as I can for years. I'm chairman of the Save our Square Committee. A delegation went up and met Minister Jack Chambers back in 2024 up in Dáil Éireann, organised by TD Jack Cahill at the time, but representatives from Thurles Traders, the Chamber of Commerce, Tipperary County Council, myself, Councillor Seamus Hanafin, we met Minister Jack Chambers back in 2024. We outlined the need for the bypass, and in fairness to him, he did say that time that he would push, and he would ensure that under the review of the National Development Plan, Thurles would be included in it. So look, there’s been an awful lot of people involved in it. I’ve done my role as a County Councillor, others have done their roles in their aspects of life, but the main thing is now that we have it in the National Development Plan, and after that now, it’s in the hands of our politicians in the Dáil and the Minister and the Government, to ensure the money is released to construct this long-awaited bypass for Thurles.”