Conflicting statements over €120m motorway

CALLS for the postponement of the route selection process for the controversial €120 million motorway through South-East Clare look set to generate heated debate between councillors and officials in the local authority chamber later this month.
The latest twist emerged following mixed messages reportedly expressed by Transport Minister Leo Varadkar about his views on the importance of the Northern Distributor Road during discussions with Clare Labour Deputy Michael McNamara and a delegation of residents from the area on Wednesday.
During discussions with Minister Varadkar, Deputy McNamara outlined his opposition to the provision of another bridge across the River Shannon, in addition to the new crossing linking Killaloe and Ballina.
According to Deputy McNamara, the minister stated he is willing to divert the money for the route selection to another scheme if that is the wish of Clare County Council. The minister told Deputy McNamara he was responding to a request from the council to build this road and acknowledged there is no funding there at present to build this road in the near future.
According to Deputy McNamara, the minister isn’t stating this road has to be built now. He believes the ball is now in the court of the council to postpone the route selection process.
He discussed the issue with Councillor Pascal Fitzgerald, who has submitted a motion calling on Clare County Council to drop any plans for a Shannon crossing to tie in with the R445 at Annacotty and to concentrate all its efforts instead on the new Shannon crossing at Killaloe for the March meeting.
Councillor Fitzgerald believes the council should delay the route selection process and revisit this issue when the economy recovers sufficiently, with existing funding used to upgrade regional roads.
A delegation of residents including Ed English, Sean McGovern, Caroline O’Brien and Miriam McCormick outlined their opposition to the current route during a meeting that lasted over 30 minutes with Minister Varadkar on Wednesday.
It was also attended by Deputy McNamara, Housing Minister Jan O’Sullivan, Deputy Willie O’Dea, Deputy Kieran O’Donnell, Deputy Timmy Dooley, Senator Tony Mulcahy and Councillor Cathal Crowe.
At the outset of the meeting, the minister indicated he wanted the route selection process to continue, to ensure a route is available to facilitate traffic movements in the next 20 or 30 years.
However, having heard the delegation, Deputy McNamara said the minister stated if Clare County Council wants to postpone the route selection or prioritise another scheme, he would be happy with that.
Mr English told The Clare Champion the minister gave the group a “good hearing” but noted he doesn’t have any direct involvement in the route selection process.
He said the minister stated it is good practice for local authority officials to meet representatives from a residents’ group and pledged to contact Clare County Council to see if this could be done in the near future.
The minister also pledged to look into practice and procedures surrounding the publication of constraints reports for national strategic routes.
However, senior engineer Tom Tiernan stated the need for the Limerick Northern Distributor Road has been well established and accepted through a number of reports, the most recent of which is the Mid-West Area Strategic Plan (the MWASP).
These reports were commissioned to identify planning, transportation and other strategies to facilitate economic and sustainable development of the Mid-West into the future.
“Funding already provided by the Department of Transport for the planning and design of the route is a manifestation of its acknowledgement of this need and its commitment to the project.
“A further manifestation of this is the fact that the first phase of the project (Coonagh to Knockalisheen) has been approved by An Bord Pleanála and preparation is presently ongoing for the tender stage.
“It isn’t a matter for Clare County Council to postpone or otherwise the route selection process. The council has a responsibility to pursue implementation of an established and accepted infrastructural requirement, which is fully acknowledged and supported as such by the Department of Transport, “ he said.