No date for part two of O'Connell street revamp in Limerick city

COUNCIL has declined to give a timeframe for when the second phase of the O’Connell Street revamp will take place, Limerick Live can reveal.

The first part of the €9m project which saw the city’s main thoroughfare transformed, wound up earlier this year.

But there was huge criticism after the works over-ran significantly.

Traders urged a commitment no major work takes place in the centre for a set period of two years to allow their businesses time to recover from the disruption.

However, a second and final phase of the revitalisation is planned. If it goes ahead, it will see a similar redesign of the street from outside the new International Rugby Experience up to the water fountain at the Crescent.

Asked when work may start on this second phase, a council spokesperson said that it is “currently under review”.

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“There is no date set for when these works will commence,” they added. The chief executive of Limerick Chamber, Dee Ryan, believes work on this final phase should kick off as soon as possible, and be complete well before the Ryder Cup lands in Limerick in under four years time.

“We do need to get moving on this, and it’s one which is within our sights for next year to start engaging with council on,” she said.

“It’s like going to the dentist. We want our teeth looking great for the wedding day which, in this case, is the Ryder Cup. There are a lot of lessons which have been learned from the first part of the project. It was very difficult for everyone involved. But there are lessons we have learned and we want to ensure we use all of these as we plan the remainder of the works,” Ms Ryan added.

Meanwhile, minor groundwork taking place at the junction of Hartstonge Street and O’Connell Street does not relate to stage two of revitalisation plans for the main thoroughfare.

A council spokesperson confirmed these works are part of other projects taking place to “create a modern city capable of sustaining a multi-modal transportation system.” Part of this is the introduction of the 30kph speed limit in the city next month.