Tipperary councillors complain about delay in upgrading section of N24 near Clonmel
Councillors Pat English and Siobhán Ambrose query council management about N24 Moangarriff and Two-Mile-Bridge Pavement Scheme
Two Clonmel councillors have complained to Tipperary County Council management about the protracted delay in upgrading a section of the N24 in the Clonmel area between Moangarriff and Two-Mile-Bridge.
Workers & Unemployment Action Group Cllr Pat English and Fianna Fáil Cllr Siobhán Ambrose asked senior council officials when this project was going to be carried out at Tipperary County Council’s July meeting in Nenagh.
“The N24 Moangarriff to Two-Mile-Bridge project is on the cards for a number of years. I can't understand the delay,” said Cllr English, who asked if the project had been put on hold.
Cllr Ambrose echoed his concern about the length of time being taken to roll-out this pavement scheme and asked Council management to confirm that funding was “ringfenced” to progress the project.
Oliver Tierney of Tipperary County Council’s Roads Department responded that the Council has prepared a preliminary design for this pavement scheme and submitted it to Transport Infrastructure Ireland.
He explained the Council has to complete a feasibility options report before taking it to the planning stage, which the Council hoped to do before the end of the year.
The next phase will involve carrying out a detailed design of the project.
He indicated the Council would have to see what funding was available to progress the scheme to the construction stage.
Cllr English said Mr Tierney’s response confused him as he had understood the funding for this road project was ringfenced a number of years ago.
Mr Tierney clarified that the Moangarriff to Two-Mile-Bridge Pavement Scheme was originally included in the proposed upgrade of the Clonmel Inner Relief Road from the Cahir Road Roundabout to Two-Mile-Bridge.
It was split from the Clonmel Inner Relief Road upgrade as traffic calming measures were needed along it and the Council was getting a lot of representations about HGVS parking on the hard shoulder.
He spoke of the difficulty of getting agreement between the Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland on road improvement schemes like this and getting them through the planning stage.
“We are finally getting to a stage where we have agreement with the TII including cycle lanes and footpaths and dealing with access on that section of road. That is why it has fallen behind.”
Mr Tierney said the Council has funding to get the Moangarriff to Two-Mile-Bridge Pavement Scheme through the planning stage but it will be down to the TII to get the project to construction stage.