The preferred route for the long-promised new road running from Farranfore to Killarney will not now be revealed until 2023, it has emerged.
A decision date, which had already been postponed, was due in November and the latest development will be a major surprise to many people, Cllr Maura Healy-Rae has said.
“This will come as another disappointment to residents whose land was marked in each of the four route options as it is preventing them from utilising their land or seeking planning permission,” she said.
Cllr Healy-Rae has called on Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to reveal the preferred route as a matter or priority as people need to be able to get on with their lives and their plans.
Kerry County Council said following a TII review of the draft option selection report for the N22 Farranfore to Killarney project, which was undertaken in October, further work has since been requested.
This request will delay the public display of the emerging preferred route corridor until at least the first quarter of next year and the additional work sought by TII includes further appraisal of the Active Travel and public transport modes potential to meet the scheme objectives.
Already the subject of extensive public consultation, the preferred corridor for the long-promised new route on the N22 Killarney-Farranfore road was due to be revealed at which time further public feedback would be invited and discussions would take place with the relevant landowners along the preferred corridor.
Alternative routes have been appraised and the liaison officer appointed to the project is Kevin Keane of Jacobs Engineering Ireland Ltd, a brother of former Kerry team trainer Peter Keane. Jacobs Engineering were appointed to spearhead the project in March 2020 and the first public consultation took place in May and June 2021.
The proposed new road, which will be 27km in length, is seen as the long-term solution to Killarney’s growing traffic problems with regular gridlock throughout the season.
A traffic counting exercise, to ascertain just how busy the road is, has been completed and a planning application for the project is expected to be submitted to An Bord Pleanála in 2024.
A grant of €800,000 was approved this year to progress the design to the next stage but the latest request from TII officials will delay the project from progressing for at least a number of months.
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