It’s anticipated that a decision on the proposed Foynes to Limerick Road – which incorporates a bypass of Adare – will be made in the coming days.
Upwards on 20,000 vehicles pass through Adare daily, and this increases to 25,000 at weekends, and much higher volumes during peak Summer months as travellers head on holiday to Kerry during July and August, in particular. When built, the Adare bypass would remove between 70-80% of traffic through the village.
Adare is to host the Ryder Golf Tournament between Europe and the United States in 2027, and there is a push to have the bypass completed well in advance of this major international sporting event. Construction of such a project would likely run to three years.
The N69 coastal road between Foynes and Limerick is exceptionally busy too, due to a large amount of heavy goods vehicle movement in and out of the active Foynes Port.
The plans for the new €450 million 35km road from Limerick to Foynes were submitted late in 2020 and An Bord Pleanála held an oral hearing which concluded in February 2021. A decision was initially expected in June of last year, then in early October and again at the end of November but all dates passed without an announcement.
In a brief statement to the Weekly Observer, a spokesperson for the Foynes to Limerick Project Team noted: “The decision on the planning application for The Foynes to Limerick Road (including the Adare Bypass) is currently with An Bord Pleanála. On their website www.pleanala.ie, An Bord Pleanála have posted the following target: “Case is due to be decided by 28th January 2022”.”
The first public consultation on the Foynes-Limerick Road took place in Spring 2015, and the process by Limerick City and County Council has involved the likes of a public display (December 2015) and multiple design updates between September 2016 and November 2018, followed by the announcement of its preferred route.
It’s possible that there will be a judicial review into the upcoming announ-cement on the Foynes-Limerick Road decision, which would delay matters even further.
Meanwhile, motorists have left almost €100,000 in cash sitting at toll booths at the Limerick Tunnel by overpaying for their car journey, and not taking their change. Figures from Transport Infrastructure Ireland reveal that “excess tolls” collected at the Limerick Tunnel amounted to €96,000 between January 2020 and October 2021.
Almost a third of road users of the Limerick Tunnel opt for a cash payment, which since January 1st was increased by 10c to €2 for cars.