By Sean Moriarty

Politicians were falling over themselves last week when it was announced that An Bord Pleanála formally approved the Adare Bypass.

This is welcome news and has Michael Healy-Rae TD put it: “For far too long access to County Kerry has been stifled both from the N22 via Macroom and the N21 via Adare, with the N22 upgrade almost complete and today’s news in relation to the N21 it will massively increase accessibility to our great county for both tourism activity and further bolstering opportunities of job creation within the county. This is a good day for Kerry.”

But Deputy Healy-Rae, like many more are missing the bigger picture.

When the Adare Bypass is complete, a 35km road will connect the Port of Foynes to the current motorway network near Limerick city.

The most important thing here is that the town of Adare will be by-passed and that will help shave time off any journey to and from Dublin or West Coast.

However, it will land the Adare traffic problem straight into Newcastle West and Abbeyfeale and until these two towns are bypassed nothing will really change.

There are advanced plans to bypass these towns but until they are firm projects any praise for the Adare Bypass is a little premature.

In related news, the much-needed Macroom Bypass could be completed by the end of this year but that has been three years in the making and over 20 in the planning. So when it comes to announcing new bypass projects shovels in the ground and vehicles on the tarmac are the only relative barometers towards progress.

Speaking of bypasses…any word from Kerry County Council on the preferred route corridor for the Farranfore to Killarney stretch?