OPINION

While the advancement of the Adare by-pass is welcome news, it seems also that road funding for Kerry is overlooked once again.

This week the government approved plans to advance the construction of the Adare Bypass in Co Limerick ahead of the Ryder Cup in 2027.

This will provide a motorway upgrade to the N21 Limerick to Kerry route, as well as connecting the Port of Foynes to the motorway network

Major golfing tournament aside, Adare badly needed to be by-passed and anyone who has ever travelled to Limerick and beyond, particularly in summer time, will tell you how much of a nuisance the traffic is there.

Two things will now happen, once the road is completed, the traffic issues will transfer directly to Newcastle West and Abbeyfeale.

While there are long-term plans to bypass both these Limerick town, details were not included in this week’s announcement so nothing apart from location will change for the foreseeable.

But what about our long-promised Farranfore to Killarney road scheme.

Anyone who travels that section on daily basis will tell you it that is not fit for purpose.

The revealing of the preferred route corridor for the construction of the new Killarney to Farranfore road has been delayed – again.
Four potential routes for the N22 Farranfore-Killarney project were identified and were put out to public consultation in May 2021. These have now been whittled down to just one.
It was previously promised that the preferred route would be published late last year.
This dragged on in to the Spring and there is still no sigh of the preferred route being revealed.
A recent Kerry County Council meeting a council official explained that there are further funding requirements to allow the council complete various reports and investigations required before the road can move to its next phase.
It seems a major golf tournament can be a channel to providing funding, but access to the tourism capital of the country cannot.