Engineer pleads for patience with Bowes Corner project in Thurles

Thurles Templemore Municipal District Engineer, Thomas Duffy has pleaded for patience with the Bowes’ Corner works in Thurles which have resulted in a lot of concerns being expressed about what the finished product will be like.

A meeting of the council today heard a number of concerned councillors expressing their views about the difficulties being experienced by motorists, including truck and bus drivers, who simply cannot navigate some of the turns without having to reverse back into traffic.

The matter was raised by Cllr Micheál Lowry who said that the works have been progressing well. However, he expressed the view that in trying to promote a more pedestrian-friendly situation, the council has gone too far and has made life impossible for the motorist, especially those coming from Railway Road and attempting to travel up the bridge.

Cllr Jim Ryan also spoke on the matter and said that there is a real issue with trucks and buses making the left hand turn from Butler Avenue to go up towards Abbey Road - they simply cannot do so without crossing the white line, he said. And, Cllr Ryan added that the members needed to express their concerns right now, rather than waiting until the job has been completed.

Cllr Seamus Hanafin said that has his reservations about being critical of the work while it in incomplete, but he too can see major difficulties with the layout of the junctions.

However, Thomas Duffy, who pledged to take on board the concerns of the members and discuss them with the road designers, said that the junctions appear much more tight at the moment with bollards, signage and cones about, and with the footpaths appearing higher until such time as the road has been resurfaced.

The project has been checked time and again with designers, Mr Duffy said, and he appealed to the public to have patience and wait until the project is completed and the overall plan is in place before casting judgement.