Tag Archives: Killaloe Bypass

WORK on the construction of the new Shannon River Crossing, Killaloe By-Pass and upgrading of the Ballina to Birdhill regional road is expected to start next spring, writes Dan Danaher. East Clare councillors were informed the contract for the main scheme works, estimated to cost in the region of €50 million, is expected to be awarded by the end of this year subject to Department of Transport approval. This was revealed at a Killaloe Municipal District meeting on Wednesday, following a motion from Councillor Tony O’Brien. Senior engineer, Sean Lenihan outlined members will be aware that this was a two-stage tender process, and that the council had already carried out a Suitability Assessment stage last year resulting in six main contractors being prequalified and shortlisted. Further to receipt of ministerial approval to proceed to tender, the council published the Main Scheme Works Tender on Friday, August 6, on the eTenders platform. “As expected for a project of this type and …

VEHICULAR traffic using the historic bridge linking Killaloe and Ballina will drop by an estimated 40% once the new Shannon River Crossing and Killaloe bypass are fully operational. That according to the analysis supporting the construction of the new Killaloe bypass, which is contained in the draft Killaloe and Ballina Town Enhancement and Mobility Plan (TEMP). The TEMP aims to promote sustainable travel, provide infrastructure for pedestrian and cyclists, as well as reducing the dominance of cars within both towns and provide further opportunities to reduce vehicular usage of Killaloe Bridge. Until the bypass and new bridge are open, no changes are proposed to the existing bridge. However, once the bypass and new bridge are operational, it is proposed to implement the new arrangement for the old bridge. Apart from bus and emergency vehicles, the old bridge will be closed to traffic every weekday between 10am and 5pm, and on Saturdays and Sundays between 10am and 6pm. Removing a large …

AN EAST Clare councillor described himself as “a fraction nervous” over the Green transport minister’s commitment to progressing the Killaloe Bypass. After receiving a detailed update on the multimillion euro project at the May meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District, Councillor Pat Burke expressed the hope that Minister Eamon Ryan would not have “a wobbly”. The Fine Gael member noted the Council hopes to proceed to tender, subject to ministerial approval, around mid-June. The official response described that stage in the project as a “milestone” in a time-frame that could see major works get underway early next year, with a possible completion date of 2025. Commenting on a written update from Seán Lenihan, Senior Engineer at the Council’s Projects Management Office (PMO), Councillor Burke commended the works. “Excellent progress has been made,” he remarked. “I am a fraction nervous about a section of the response which says that ‘all going well’ the minister will give approval for tendering. “I would …

RESIDENTS in Killaloe and Ballina can’t use a regional road to travel to Birdhill and Limerick for the next two weeks. TIPPERARY County Council recently made an order to close a regional road on the outskirts of Ballina to facilitate preliminary works for the Shannon Bridge Crossing project. Following a public consultation process, the council has decided to close the R494 Ballina to Birdhill Road from 7 am on February 15 to 7pm on March 1. Traffic travelling to Ballina from Birdhill are advised to use an alternative route by proceeding along the R445 to its junction with R496, continue along the R496 to its junction with R494 and proceed on R494 to access Ballina. Traffic travelling to Birdhill from Ballina should proceed along R494 to its junction with R496, proceed along R496 to its junction with R445 and drive on the R445 to access Birdhill. Local access will be facilitated. Road users in Ballina- and Killaloe should expect delays …

Clare County Council is making significant progress delivering the €69 million Shannon River Crossing project. The estimated cost of the project totals €69 million, which includes construction, land acquisition, design, supervision, risk, contingency and archaeology. It is expected the new Shannon River Crossing, Killaloe By-Pass and upgrade of the Ballina to Birdhill R494 regional road will take up to three years to construct and could start next summer if everything goes to plan. Out of 110 affected property owners, two homes were acquired under the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) process which will have to be demolished. One of these is in Clarisford while the other one is at the Ogonnelloe end of the Scheme. The council concluded a deal with these two property owners at an early stage – one built a new dwelling in the locality and the other home owner has moved out of the area. In an interview with the Clare Champion, senior engineer, Seán Lenihan said …

THE new Cathaoirleach of the Killaloe Municipal District has outlined his priorities for year ahead, saying now is the time for delivery, and that representatives must “have their hands up” for funding from national government. Councillor Pat Hayes took over from Councillor Pat Burke of Whitegate who held the role for two consecutive terms. The Caher-based representative was nominated by Fianna Fáil colleagues Councillor Alan O’Callaghan and Councillor Tony O’Brien. At the district AGM, Councillor Hayes thanked Councillor Burke for his work. “We are fairly unique in Killaloe for our positive working relationship,” he noted. “The parties are all in government together and we’re working together in Clare for the greater good.” He also outlined his priorities for the year ahead, including projects like the Killaloe Bypass and Inis Cealtra. “We have many plans in the pipeline in this district,” he noted. “What I want to see now is delivery.” Councillor Hayes noted that boundary changes had brought a number of other projects into …

THE time-line for awarding the contract to build the new multimillion Euro Killaloe Bridge and Bypass has slipped slightly from its original target, The Champion has learned, with the likelihood that the three-part project may not now be completed until 2024. Works to progress the project, which also includes improvements to the R494, have continued despite Covid-19 restrictions, with the Project Steering Group, lead by Clare County Council, meeting remotely in April and May. In response to a query from The Champion, the local authority has outlined a time-frame indicating it expects the contract for the main works to be awarded at the end of March next year, with construction taking a further three years to complete. The most recent update available previously was as briefing to members of the Killaloe Municipal District which indicated that contracts would be awarded before the end of 2020, with a target completion date of late 2022. “The Project Team … are close to …