While welcoming confirmation that a significant section of the proposed new Adare Bypass is expected to be developed in time for the 2027 Ryder Cup in the village, a councillor has voiced concern that the town of Killarney – which has been waiting for a bypass for nearly 30 years – is being forgotten.
Cllr Maura Healy-Rae said she is delighted for the people of Adare who have had to endure years of heavy traffic and she acknowledged that the holding of the Ryder Cup will have major benefits in terms of tourism and the economy.
Furthermore, she said, the bypass will decrease congestion and noise, improve air quality and improve safety for all road users.
But, Cllr Healy-Rae insisted, she can’t ignore the inherent contradiction by the Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, when he says that this infrastructural project is the type of transformation he wants to achieve by prioritising by-passes and a town centre first approach.
“Has he forgotten about the town of Killarney which has been waiting for a bypass with nearly 30 years? Has he forgotten that by not providing the necessary funding to advance this scheme to phase one, the economic corridor between Cork and Kerry has been ground to a halt?” she asked.
Cllr Healy-Rae said Killarney has enormous congestion issues. not just in the peak season, and each of the major junctions on the proposed route are blackspots for road accidents and too many fatalities have occurred.
“Our tourism and economic industries are being affected by the absence of this vital piece of infrastructure.
“Development is stifled with land surrounding the town is sterilised because the preferred route can’t be published due to a lack of funding from Minister Ryan’s department – the list goes on unfortunately,” the Killarney councillor added.
Cllr Healy-Rae called on Minister Eamon Ryan, Minister Norma Foley and the government to make a positive intervention regarding the Cork-Kerry bypass as they seem to have done in Adare.
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