Roundabout to replace dangerous Turtulla Cross junction near Thurles

​At this month's meeting of the Thurles Municipal District, councillors received a major update on long-awaited plans to improve safety at the notorious Turtulla Cross outside Thurles.

​Clandillon Civil Consulting Director Tom Meagher presented the proposed Part 8 planning application for the N62 Turtulla Cross Road Safety Improvement Scheme, outlining plans to replace the existing staggered junction with a new roundabout.

The proposed scheme aims to provide a safer refuge for right-turning vehicles, improve visibility at the crossroads, remove the existing left-right staggered junction arrangement, reduce vehicle speeds through the area, improve future traffic capacity and create a stronger gateway into Thurles.

Meagher told councillors the existing junction has long been recognised as an accident blackspot. Studies identified 13 collisions between 2015 and 2020, while more recent Road Safety Authority data recorded 12 collisions between 2016 and 2024, including a serious crash over the June Bank Holiday weekend this year.

He said the primary cause of collisions is vehicles turning right across the N62, while the current layout also provides no safe crossing facilities for pedestrians. Traffic volumes on the route have increased by 19% since 2015, with further growth expected.

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The preferred design is a 32-metre diameter online roundabout based on the Dutch CROW road design manual as part of a pilot project for Transport Infrastructure Ireland. Engineers said its radial design would reduce vehicle speeds while improving safety for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists, and would comfortably accommodate future traffic volumes. The design has already completed a Road Safety Audit and received approval from TII.

The proposed scheme will also include pedestrian crossing points on each approach, active travel facilities, upgraded public lighting, new signage and landscaping. Environmental screening concluded that the project is not expected to have significant impacts on the surrounding environment.

Clandillon examined a range of options before settling on the preferred design. These included road realignment, lowering the N62 to improve visibility, enhanced signage and landscaping, a ghost island junction and several alternative layouts. However, the online roundabout was ultimately selected as the safest and most effective solution.

Councillors unanimously welcomed the proposals, describing them as a significant milestone after years of campaigning for improvements at the dangerous junction.

Cathaoirleach Cllr Sean Ryan described the announcement as "a really historic day", saying it was a project that councillors had collectively fought for over many years.

"The most important thing is that it will save lives, and there's no doubt about that today," he said. "This will bring a huge amount of safety to that area."

He thanked Tipperary County Council officials, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, Clandillon Civil Consulting and current and former public representatives who had worked to bring the project to this stage.

Cllr Jim Ryan also welcomed the proposals, he recalled when he had first discussed improvements to Turtulla Cross shortly after being elected for the first time in 1999.

"To actually see it here today and see the plans and hear it firsthand from the experts and the people responsible for this project, I just very much want to thank you all," he said. "This is something so, so badly needed."

The Part 8 planning application will go on public display from Wednesday, July 23, with plans available for inspection at Thurles Municipal District offices, council offices in Nenagh and Clonmel, and online through the Local Government Planning Portal. Submissions will be accepted until September 4.

Subject to planning approval, detailed design and procurement are scheduled to continue through the second half of 2026. Site clearance is expected before March 2027, with the appointment of a contractor targeted for the second quarter of next year.

Construction is expected to take approximately six months, placing completion of the long-awaited road safety scheme in early 2028 if the current programme remains on schedule.