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Councillors appeal to transport minister for bridge funding


Transport Minister Leo Varadkar has been asked to sanction the necessary funding to allow the long-awaited new River Shannon crossing and ring roads to proceed to the Compulsory Purchase Order stage.
County councillors in South-East Clare and North Tipperary have united to put pressure on Minister Varadkar to give the go-ahead for the CPO to proceed with the bridge crossing, Killaloe town bypass and upgrading of the Ballina to Birdhill route to the Limerick Dublin motorway.
Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy Alan Kelly, as well as local deputies in Clare and North Tipperary have been invited to hear a joint deputation of councillors from the Killaloe and Newport Electoral Areas.
Frustration is growing in the twin communities over the delay in securing approval for the three projects, which will cost between €35 and €40 million.
Councillor Cathal Crowe proposed that Minister Varadkar and Oireachtas members in both counties be invited to hear a presentation from councillors.
If this didn’t suit the minister’s schedule, he suggested councillors go to meet the minister in the Dáil to present a strong case for Government funding.
He warned if nothing happened to progress the bridge project, current engineering reports could become outdated, requiring preparatory work already done to be revisited.
Clare County Council senior executive engineer, Seán Lenihan, said work carried out previously on the constraints study, planning, design and public consultation would not be in vain.
He added that all the necessary documentation for the new Killaloe crossing has been sent to the Department of the Environment and noted the council had got a commitment for €100,000 to carry out minor works.
“Once the CPO is approved, that will trigger the land acquisition process. When that will happen no one knows until the capital review is carried out. The council is waiting for a response from this process,” he said.
North Tipperary senior executive engineer, Michael F Hayes said he didn’t think the two local authorities would lose out in terms of the work already carried out, as the Department of the Environment might only look for different ratios in cost benefit analysis.
Councillor Pat Hayes said it is vital the river crossing and associated ring roads are kept on the Government agenda.
Having spent millions of euro on projects such as the Ennis bypass, he worried that the new crossing is in competition with the Northern Distributor Relief Road linking Coonagh with Castletroy for national funding.
Councillor Hayes pointed out that a lot of land is effectively sterilised in the ­Killaloe area because of the new crossing and ­wondered when the €100,000 allocated for this project last year would be spent.
“We have to fight in East Clare and North Tipperary to get this crossing completed because if we don’t fight or put pressure on the Government, it might not be done for years,” he said.
Joint electoral area chairman Councillor Johnathan Meaney agreed public representatives in both counties need to pursue the issue.
He proposed if funding could be allocated on a phased basis, it could be the catalyst to bring the CPO to fruition.
Clare Councillor Michael Begley ­rejected suggestions that the crossing is in ­competition with the Northern Distributor Relief Road and recalled a slant was put on the transfer of money from the Killaloe project to the Northern Relief Road.
Noting the Killaloe project is a strategic route, he explained the transfer occurred because no further work needed to be done on the Killaloe project until the CPO is sanctioned, which required millions of euro and not €100,000.
Councillor Hayes clarified that he meant both projects would have to be funded out of the national coffers.
He pointed out a CPO for a bypass or new bridge crossing is not advanced unless all the money is available for the total project, as the Department of the Environment wouldn’t buy land and let it sit there for years.

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