Deep concern as no funding approved to progress design of N24 Cahir to Waterford upgrade
Tipperary County Council meeting told public representatives must 'fight tooth and nail' to secure funding for this 'critical project' for the region
The Government's decision not to approve €2.5m funding this year to finance the next design stage of the N24 Cahir to Waterford upgrade project was greeted with deep concern at Tipperary County Council’s monthly meeting on Monday by both councillors and senior management.
Councillors were informed at the meeting in Nenagh that the response received to the joint letter the chairpersons of Tipperary, Kilkenny and Waterford county councils and Oireachtas members of the three counties sent to the Minister for Transport in February appealing for funding to progress this section of the N24 upgrade was that no funding was approved.
The Council’s Director of Roads Liam Brett said this was of “huge concern” as this was a “critical project” needed for the economic development of the entire region.
Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil councillors told the meeting they had lobbied senior Government figures in their respective parties to resume funding the project to enable progress to the planning stage.
Fine Gael Cllr Marie Murphy said she raised the issue with the Tánaiste and Fine Gael party leader Simon Harris last week.
She warned that if this was “let slide” the €10m already spent on the design of the N24 Cahir to Waterford upgrade will go “down the drain” and it will take years to get it back on track.
She said the Council needed to write to Transport Infrastructure Ireland and highlight in the strongest possible terms the importance of this project.
The Clogheen councillor pointed out that 60km of this section of the N24 was in county Tipperary.
While it only accounted for 1% of the county’s entire road network, 25% of the road deaths in the county happened on this section of road.
She highlighted that the owners of seven houses and 2,200 landowners situated along the preferred transport corridor for the N24 between Cahir and Waterford were in limbo over the stalling of the design work because their properties were sterilised for any future planning development.
“I think this is something we have to fight tooth and nail for,” she declared.
Cllr Murphy added that it “defied logic” and belief that €10m already spent on this project would be wasted for the sake of approving €2.5m to keep it on track.
Clonmel Fianna Fáil Cllr Siobhán Ambrose said she had asked Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien to meet Tipperary County Council representatives about the funding needed for this section of the N24 upgrade and she hoped to welcome him to County Hall in the future.
Referring to the controversial decision not to include a new bypass of Clonmel in the design plans, she reiterated her belief that the project’s proposals for Clonmel need to be revisited
Mayor of Clonmel Cllr Pat English echoed her view about the absence of a new bypass in the plan for Clonmel. He declared it was a “national disgrace” that the Government was going to waste the €10m already spent on the project by not sanctioning funding to further progress it to the planning stage.
He said they needed to get the county’s Oireachtas members to fight to secure this funding.
Mr Brett said he echoed councillors’ concerns and frustration and agreed this projects “needs to get moving again”. He said the issue would be discussed further at a workshop for councillors on roads funding issues that was proposed at the meeting.
“It’s incumbent on all us to highlight the need for this project,” he added.