Upgrade of N24 from Cahir to Waterford in 'limbo' after funding snub

Deep concern over the Government’s failure to provide any funding to progress the upgrade of the N24 between Cahir and Waterford this year has prompted Tipperary County Council to seek a deputation meeting with the Minister for Transport to get the project back on track.
The council is also to write to Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tanaiste Leo Varadkar highlighting its concern that this part of the multi-million euro project is in “limbo” and appealing for funding to be allocated so it can proceed to the design, planning and construction phases.
The decision to request a meeting with Transport Minister Eamon Ryan was taken at Tipperary County Council’s monthly meeting last Friday after chairperson Cllr Marie Murphy highlighted her alarm at how this section of the N24 project has stalled.
She told councillors that while €1m was allocated to progress the Limerick Junction to Cahir section of the N24 upgrade this year, the Cahir to Waterford section received no funding. And after attending a meeting of council chairpersons and chief executives from the South East’s other counties that morning, she was not so sure there would be funding allocated to progress the upgrade of the Cahir to Waterford section of this “vital project” in 2023 either.
Cllr Murphy said the chairpersons of the five county councils have brought forward their scheduled monthly meeting with the region’s Oireachtas members to this Friday morning because of the “urgency” of the situation.
“I now realise there is a major requirement for us as Tipperary County Councillors to be very concerned about the lack of funding in 2022 for the Cahir to Waterford section of the N24 as it now leaves the project in limbo.
“There is currently a 6km wide corridor sterilised all the way from Cahir to Waterford and this brings major problems in and of itself.
“I believe it is imperative that there should be multi- annual funding for such vital infrastructural upgrades especially when these upgrades are on the National Development Plan.
“As a council, in my opinion, we need to write to the Taoiseach, Tanaiste and Minister for Transport highlighting our concerns and to try to ensure that funding is made available in 2022 to keep the N24 Cahir to Waterford project alive. We also need to contact the Tipperary Oireachtas members to get them to raise the issue,” she added.
Mayor of Clonmel Cllr Michael Murphy led fellow south councillors representing Clonmel, Cahir and Carrick-on-Suir in supporting the concerns voiced by the chairperson.
He described the apparent “shelving” of the Cahir to Waterford section of the project as a “huge shock” and “betrayal” of the South East and a “bitter blow” for Clonmel in terms of realising its potential.
He believed the council should write to the Taoiseach and Tanaiste but it also needed to go further to reverse this decision made when the “ink was barely dry” on the National Development Plan’s revision.
Cllr Siobhan Ambrose called on the council to seek a “face-to-face” meeting with the minister as soon as possible.
She said young people were contacting her wondering if they could build a house on their family holding located in the corridor of land sterilised for planning until a preferred route is selected between Cahir and Waterford.
But now they will continue to not be in a position to decide to build their dream home.
She also noted that anyone travelling on the Clonmel bypass could see how traffic on it was at a standstill due to congestion because the N24 needs to be upgraded.
Poulmucka Cllr Andy Moloney said if there was no funding to progress the Cahir to Waterford part of the N24 then the sterlisation of land around the route should end so people could get on with their lives.
Council CEO Joe MacGrath said he was also extremely disappointed and hugely frustrated at this decision as the N24’s upgrade was critical for the development of this county and the South East.
Mr MacGrath said the council would write to Minister Ryan and seek a meeting with him and they would try to ensure Kilkenny County Council, the local authority leading the Cahir to Waterford section of the N24 upgrade, would also attend .
He said anyone travelling through Cahir, Clonmel, Kilsheelan and Carrick-on-Suir knew about the volume of traffic on the N24.
There were also key safety issues on the road and the lack of a funding allocation to Kilkenny County Council to progress the project effectively “put it on ice”. He requested councillors to leave aside the land sterlisation issue until the council got clarity and got the project back on track.