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Council to ‘engage immediately’ on Blake’s Corner project

CLARE County Council is set to engage immediately with affected landowners as it bids to progress a new relief road in Ennistymon that will alleviate traffic problems in the town. Following approval by An Bord Pleanála for the Council’s N67/N85 Inner Relief Road Ennistymon (Blake’s Corner) Compulsory Purchase Order 2020, the local authority is commencing plans to procure a contractor for the works at the earliest juncture. Should the engagement process go smoothly with attendant approvals from Transport Infrastructure Ireland, work could begin on the project early in 2024. Senior Engineer with Clare County Council, Seán Lenihan, added: “Following the decision by An Bord Pleanála, we will now arrange to complete the detailed design and tender documentation required to procure a contractor for the works at the earliest juncture. “We will also commence the engagement process with affected land and property owners in terms of agreeing compensation packages and other associated arrangements required.” Clare County Council published the CPO in …

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End in sight for notorious Clare bottleneck Blake’s Corner

AN BORD Pleanala has given the green light for a new bridge in Ennistymon in north Clare that will eliminate one of the most notorious traffic bottlenecks in the country. The appeals board has cleared the way for Clare County Council to press ahead with the new bridge that will end the long standing Blake’s Corner bottleneck that delays tens of thousands of motorists every year on their way to and from the Cliffs of Moher and Lahinch. The new bridge – which will be 80 metres upstream of the existing bridge – will involve the demolition of one family home that includes a florist and a local branch of the Dept of Social Protection. The scheme also involves the pedestrianisation of the existing bridge. In the long running saga, the Council applied for the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) to allow the scheme proceed in June 2020 and confirming the CPO today, the appeals board has taken into account to …

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Traffic management plan for Women’s Irish Open at Dromoland

A TRAFFIC management plan is to be put in place for the duration of the upcoming KPMG Women’s Irish Open Golf Tournament at Dromoland Castle gardaí have confirmed. The KPMG sponsored Women’s Irish Open golf tournament is scheduled to take place at Dromoland Castle from Thursday, September 22 to Sunday, September 25. The Pro-Am event will take place on Wednesday, September 21. Car parking for the event is free and is located at the Inn at Dromoland. It is open from 7am to 7pm each day and will be manned by parking stewards. The public are being asked to follow the directional signs from the motorway and the directions of Gardaí and parking stewards to assist them in reaching the car park swiftly. “From here patrons can access the golf course with ease. Parking is provided for inside the grounds of the Inn at Dromoland and we are asking that all drivers avail of this,” said Sergeant Triona Brooks, Crime Prevention …

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Key Clare road could take up to five years to complete

IT now looks highly likely a new distributor road to improve connectivity in South-East Clare could take at least five years to fully complete. Residents in the area have been repeatedly disappointed over ongoing delays concerning the construction of the €58 million Coonagh to Knockalisheen distributor road, which forms part of Limerick’s Northern Distributor Road. The scheme was hit with a major setback last March when the main contractor, construction giant Roadbridge, went into receivership owing substantial sums to local subcontractors and construction suppliers throughout Clare. Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has repeatedly come under fire over the delay in the completion of this distributor road. The new road will provide an urban style carriageway between Coonagh Roundabout and Knockalisheen Road. The first phase of the project, which cost in the region of €8 million, was completed in 2018 and the construction of the main contract is estimated to cost €35 million. Along with the construction of the new dual carriageway, …

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Disabled parking spaces being ‘abused’ says Ennis campaigner

DISABLED parking spaces are regularly being “abused” according to Ennis community activist and member of the Clare Leader Forum Dermot Hayes. He was speaking as concerns were raised about a “shortage in availability” of disabled parking in Ennis at a recent meeting of councillors by Councillor Paul Murphy. There are a total of 78 disabled car parking spaces in the Ennis Municipal District urban area including four spaces due to be constructed later this year at Lower Market Street and the Friary Car Park the local authority has confirmed. Mr Hayes believes that greater enforcement is needed against those who misuse disabled parking, while also calling for more parking to be put in place suitable for the needs of people with disabilities. “People are abusing car parking for people with disabilities, it’s a regular occurrence all over the county and all over Ireland. “We fought hard and campaigned a long time for disability parking and the excuses of ‘I’m just …

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Sat navs blamed for heavy tourist traffic on small Clare roads

A NUMBER of councillors in West and North Clare have raised concerns about the impact of tourist vehicles using smaller roads and boreens in the district. The Green Party’s Liam Grant was first to raise the matter at a meeting of councillors, in a motion stating, “A number of bus operators are using unsuitable roads to travel to tourist attractions in North Clare. I call on Clare County Council to write to the National Transport Authority and request stricter enforcement of the allocated routes. “I would also request that the Cliffs of Moher consider not allowing bus operators, who do not take the allocated routes, park at the visitor centre.” The finger was also pointed, however, at GPS navigation systems, which routinely point drivers towards the quickest, most direct routes, regardless of the state of the road. Later in the meeting, Councillor Ian Lynch had a motion which asked for signs to be put up in certain places, urging people …

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MMAI Logo

New Motoring Media Organisation

The Motoring Media Association of Ireland (MMAI) has held its inaugural Annual General Meeting. Members gathered recently to unanimously ratify the formation of the new organisation, and to elect officers. The new Association has been established to represent professional motoring journalists across print and digital outlets in Ireland and is the result of a merger between the Irish Motoring Writers Association (IMWA) and the Association of Professional Motoring Press (APMP). At the first AGM of the new Association, the following appointments to officer roles were made: Chair: Joe Rayfus; Vice-Chair: Daragh Keany; Secretary: David Walshe; Treasurer: Martin McCarthy; Public Relations Officer: Caroline Kidd. The MMAI will be responsible for organising the annual Continental Tyres Irish Car of the Year and Continental Tyres Irish Van of the Year Awards, Ireland’s most prestigious and widely recognised motoring accolades for over 40 years. Only members of the MMAI are eligible to vote in these awards, which determine the best new cars and vans …

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Road closures in Killaloe and Ballina for Quest Lough Derg race

On Saturday next, September 10 Quest Lough Derg takes place in Killaloe/Ballina.  The event is made up of seven waves over three routes starting from 8am to 12.15pm from Flanagan’s and finishing in the same location. A garda spokesperson said, “A traffic management plan in conjunction with the organisers and An Garda Siochana will be in place and we ask people to be patient.” The following road closures will be in place: Tipperary County Council road closures  Lakeside Drive is closed starting at the Killaloe Bridge Junction and finishing at the Lakeside Hotel. Including all public car parking spaces on Lakeside Drive Closing Times: From 6.00 a.m. to 6pm on Saturday, September 10 Notes: Local residential access only to Lakeside Drive from the R494 road.    Graves of Leinster Men Road is closed starting at the R494 / L-6036-0 junction including road numbers: L2130-26, L2136-0 AND L2136-10 to the junction of the L-6037-0 / L2136-21. Including all public car parking …

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