Timeline emerges for major traffic management works in busy Limerick town

THE TIMELINE for major traffic management works in Abbeyfeale, has laid out by a senior council official.

Details of the proposed schedule emerged in a response to a question from Fine Gael councillor Liam Galvin at the April meeting of the Newcastle West Municipal District.

In a written reply, Patricia Liddy, Director of Services for Transportation, Mobility and Public Realm, explained the plan “is now split into stages for delivery purposes.”

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She said advance works for the plan began in 2024, when the demolition of O'Riordan's Bar and a residential building at Colbert Terrace in the town was completed.

Ms Liddy said the next phase of the works will be the construction of the Grove Crescent Car Park Link.
A “contractor has been appointed” for that element of the overall project.

Construction was due to commence last month and Ms Liddy said it is estimated this will be a four-month works programme.
The reply added that Uisce Eireann is scheduled to commence works to replace the existing water mains at Killarney Road, Main Street and Colbert Terrace later this year.

These works will take around three months and Ms Liddy confirmed the upgraded water mains “will be funded by Uisce Eireann directly.”

She outlined the next phase of the project will then focus on the N21 Killarney Road. Following a tender process, it’s expected those works will begin in the second half of 2026.

Ms Liddy said the council aims to complete this phase of the project ahead of the Ryder Cup in Adare in September 2027.

Following this, works on the N21 Main Street and Colbert Terrace are scheduled to begin after the Ryder Cup.

The local authority is currently working with consultants Malachy Walsh and Partners to finalise a value engineering exercise for the N21 Killarney Road phase, with the aim of delivering the project within budget.

Ms Liddy said: “Once this phase has been redesigned and a cost estimate completed, we will engage with TII (Transport Infrastructure Ireland) to confirm funding prior to tender.”

She added that traffic calming proposals are expected to be published in May under Section 38 of the Road Traffic Act 1994, "to make the public aware of the planned measures.”