E

EXCLUSIVE

By Sean Moriarty

Members of the public will have to wait another month at least to view maps of potential routes for the proposed Killarney Bypass and Farranfore road upgrade. Late last year a Kerry County Council official told a Council meeting that the plans would go on public display by the end of March.

That has been postponed and “will come later this month or in early May and will involve a period of public consultation”, according to latest information from Áras an Chontae.

While no official reason has been given for the delay, the Killarney Advertiser understands that pandemic related work restrictions are the reasons behind the postponement of the release of the maps.

In December the Council also confirmed that the route proposals would include links to the Macroom Bypass which is currently under construction.

Plans for the new road, designed to take traffic directly from the Muckross area to the Cork Road, will also be revealed at the same time as the Farranfore plans.

It is hoped that the proposed routes will be signed off later this year or in early 2022. The project will then move to the environmental stage, ahead of a planning application in 2024.

The Killarney Advertiser also understands that senior staff from the National Road Design Office in Castleisland have been in recent discussions with landowners in the Farranfore area.

“Consultants are at Phase Two which involves route selection and shortlisting various route corridors for further appraisal later this year. These shortlisted route corridors will be displayed to the general public in late April or early May via a virtual room as part of an online presentation,” a Council spokesperson told the Killarney Advertiser this week.

There are also plans in place to appoint a Project Liaison Officer so members of the public can discuss the project with a dedicated engineer.