WATCH: Motorists warned of delays as revitalisation of Limerick's O’Connell Street begins

MOTORISTS are being urged to avoid Limerick city centre from tomorrow as major roadworks begin as part of the O’Connell Street revitalisation project.

The works, between the William Street and Thomas Street junctions, are set to continue until mid-July.

While one lane of traffic will remain open at all times, motorists and road users are being advised that significant traffic delays can be expected.

Barry Lane, project manager with main contractor ShareRidge, says alternative routes have been identified and he is appealing for patience – particularly over the coming week.

“We are asking people to keep patient for the first couple of days to get used to it. If you don’t need to come into the city centre – if you can use the diversion routes please use them as it will make everyone’s life much easier,” he told the Limerick Leader.

However, Mr Lane is reassuring people that the city centre remains open and accessible for those who need to shop or do business.

“​If people are coming in to go shopping (or to do business)  all the routes are still available and all the car parks are not going to be disrupted. At no stage will we be closing the two lanes of traffic,” he said.

With non-essential retail still closed and thousands of workers continuing to work remotely, Barry Lane says ShareRidge will engage with all stakeholders as public health restrictions are eased over the coming weeks and months.

“The shopkeeper’s biggest concerns at the moment is that when the shops do reopen there will be a lot of people going into them so we will be making every effort to engage with them early on and we are going to work with them to ensure there will be unobstructed access,” he said adding there has already been engagement regarding deliveries and refuse collections.

While the first phase of the O’Connell Street works will continue until mid-July, the overall project will take around 14 months to complete with a moratorium during December to facilitate Christmas shopping.