Tenders sought to construct Macroom bypass
Tenders are now being sought for the construction of a badly-needed bypass in County Cork, but doubts remain over the fate of two similar projects.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) announced yesterday that it is seeking a contractor to build the €200m-plus Macroom bypass, which could be completed by the end of 2022.
The 22km dual-carriageway will run from the east of Macroom across the Carrigadrohid Reservoir and onto Ballyvourney.
It will consist of four bridges over the rivers Sullane, Laney, Foherish, and Bohill, and involve the diversion of the River Owengarve.
In addition, there will be 18 road bridges and 13 culverts.
Macroom-based Agriculture Minister Michael Creed said the publication of the tender for the bypass marks one of the final steps before the commencement of the construction phase of this crucial project.
“The news that the scheme has finally moved to tender will be warmly received by commuters and residents in the area,” said Mr Creed. “This is one of the priority projects under Project Ireland 2040 and every effort is being made to ensure this critical piece of infrastructure is commenced and completed at the nearest possible opportunity.”
The news was also welcomed by Fine Gael councillor Ted Lucey, chairman of the Blarney/Macroom municipal district council.
TII spokesman Sean O’Neill said it is hoped work will start by next September.
“A project of this scale and complexity would take approximately three years to complete,” he said. “Maybe, again, all going well, the project is completed and open by end of 2022 at the earliest, but more likely in 2023.”
He said some of the project will be “challenging” due to the nature of the ground conditions in some areas.
As part of the project, the protected Kerry slug will have to be transferred out of the construction area to a suitable new habitat.
Work will also have to be carried out to ensure the safety of the protected freshwater pearl mussel, which is also present in the area.
Meanwhile, Cork county councillors are to seek a meeting with TII to get clarification on start dates for the construction of the Cork-Limerick motorway (M20) and relief roads in Charleville and Mallow.
The issue was raised at a meeting of the council’s Northern Division by Fine Gael councillor Kay Dawson.
Senior engineer Jim Moloney said a business case and project brief for the Charleville road is with TII and that a preliminary line for the road has been decided.
However, he said the council has no indication of the current status of the project.
Charleville-based Fianna Fáil councillor Ian Doyle said that while he welcomes the enquiry, careful consideration has to be given to the impact that a relief road might have on the local business community.
“We have 15,000 vehicles passing through Charleville every day and just 1% of those stopping brings huge benefits to the town,” he said. “All I am saying is that when people throw out the words ‘Charleville’ and ‘traffic’, they need to look at the situation as a whole. As a county town, we are punching well above our weight and want to keep it that way.”
He said a serious cause for concern is that a definitive timeline for the M20 project has yet to be put in place, despite assurances from the highest levels in Government that the JCBs are nearly ready to start work on the motorway.
