€33m funding boost for Northern Distributor Road

GOVERNMENT sanction for the expenditure of €337 million on the Limerick City regeneration project has provided a welcome lifeline for the first phase of a major three-kilometre ring road bypassing the city.

Official approval for the regeneration project includes a commitment of €33m towards the construction of the 1.7km Limerick Northern Distributor Road from Coonagh to Knockalisheen, Meelick.
It is understood that this upgrading will include the widening of the existing road and provision of footpaths and cycle lanes.
Regeneration agencies have been working on measures to combat anti-social problems and gangland violence in the city since 2007.
The approved projects include a €116m spend on sustainable housing with 850 new and social houses proposed, €40m on community and social development and another €90m ringfenced for infrastructure projects over four and a half years.
Mayor of Clare, Councillor Tony Mulcahy, said the Government’s announcement provides a significant boost to the Northern Distributor Road project, which will eventually bypass Limerick City Centre by linking the Coonagh roundabout at Caherdavin to the Dublin Road in Annacotty.
“Once completed, this project will link Coonagh with Parteen and Ardnacrusha before crossing the River Shannon to UL and the Dublin Road. This vital piece of infrastructure will greatly ease traffic congestion in and around Limerick City and will be of great benefit to the people of South-East Clare, as well as Limerick City and its environs,” he added.
Clare county manager, Tom Coughlan, and a director of the Limerick Regeneration Agency said the Government’s commitment of €33m represented a significant step towards the commencement of work on the remainder of the road project.
“The preliminary design for the first phase of this major project has recently been completed and the project will shortly proceed to CPO stage. The first phase of the Northern Distributor Road will be delivered by Limerick City Council as the contracting authority,” he stated.
Councillor Cathal Crowe claimed local landowners have been forced to put their future development plans on hold because of the uncertainty surrounding the ring road. He stressed the need to complete this ring road has become all the more important following the construction of the almost complete Limerick Tunnel.
“For many years the roads of Meelick, Parteen and Ardnacrusha have been used as a rat-run by motorists trying to avoid the daily traffic congestion of Limerick City.
“For many years, there was a widely held belief that the Coonagh to Knockalisheen Road was a pie-in-the-sky project.
The allocation of €33m towards the project is proof of the Government’s commitment to an enhanced roads infrastructure in the region,” he said.
Councillor Pascal Fitzgerald noted there is no point in providing only part of the ring road unless the remainder of the route is constructed in tandem. He urged the council to take into account concerns expressed by residents in Meelick about the route of the ring road and the impact it could have on householders in the locality.
“Meelick residents must be kept informed of the exact route and the different stage of this major roads project,” he said.
This issue was also raised by Councillor Michael Begley at a recent Killaloe Electoral Area meeting, when he recalled that the Department of Transport had agreed to transfer €400,000 from the Killaloe Bypass/Shannon Crossing Project to the Northern Distributor Road project.
Councillor Begley pointed out this would not result in any delay in the provision of the Killaloe bypass, as this funding would not cover the cost of the Compulsory Purchase Order phase of this project, which is still awaiting official sanction for a far more considerable sum.
Senior executive engineer, Séan Lenihan, explained the €400,000 allowed the council to proceed with the appointment of consultants as a matter of priority.
“In 2008, we had a shortlist and it is hoped to continue with that process rather than have to commence the entire procurement process again.
“The council hope to get the Constraints Study underway within the next couple of months and continue with the further stages, such as development of route options, confirmation of preferred route, Environmental Impact Statement and Compulsory Purchase Order,” he said.