Tipperary Town councillor frustrated over length of N24 upgrade design process
Cllr Annemarie Ryan told that while there have been delays the N24 Cahir to Limerick Junction/Oola upgrade project is now at a ‘very late stage’ of the design process
A Tipperary Town councillor voiced frustration at the drawn-out N24 Cahir to Limerick Junction/Oola route upgrade design process at this month's county council meeting and asked why the project is up to three years behind the original schedule.
Sinn Féin Cllr Annemarie Ryan posed the question to the Council's Director of Roads Liam Brett reminding him of the urgent need for the upgrade of the national route.
One of the key parts of the proposed upgrade of this section of the N24 project is the building of a bypass for Tipperary Town, which is congested daily by traffic travelling on the N24 through the town centre.
She pointed out the project was originally scheduled to go to the statutory planning approval in the final quarter of 2024 but instead was still at design stage and potentially going for planning approval in 2027 and construction in 2031.
“We keep missing deadlines, we are at least two to three years behind schedule,” she complained.
Cllr Ryan asked what the Council could do to ensure this project doesn't miss any more deadlines and noted that a bypass for Adare in neighbouring county Limerick is being fast-tracked because the Ryder Cup is taking place there next year.
The Council's Director of Roads Services & Transportation Services Liam Brett acknowledged while there have been delays in the project, it was now at a very late stage of the design process.
He pointed out that Tipperary County Council was “very hopeful” the design will progress through reviews that have to be conducted on it and that it will be ready to be submitted to An Coimisiún Pleanála for approval by the end of the year.
Mr Brett explained that some of the delays in the project were caused by policy changes, which meant the design team had to go back and review items. There were also funding delays that held up the design team in its work.
He stressed that everything the county council could do to progress the project has been done
And he urged the Council's elected members to lobby Government to ensure this project gets through the reviews and continues to progress.
N24 traffic figures
Latest Transport Infrastructure Ireland traffic figures for Tipperary Town have highlighted the urgency of securing a bypass for Tipperary Town.
According to the TII an average of 7,276 vehicles travel on the N24 between Bansha and Tipperary Town daily.