€4-5m upgrade of road planned in county
Tipperary County Council is proposing to carry out a €4-5m upgrade to the public realm through the centre of Tipperary town between Church Street and Cashel Road. The scheme is 1.6km in length and encompasses two national routes through the town, the N24 and N74.
The improvements will involve:
- 1.6km of new road pavement and upgrade of the road layout on the N24 Main Street and N74 Fr Mathew Street
- carriageway widths reduced to 6.5m on N24 Main Street and to 6.0m on Fr. Mathew Street/Cashel Road
- widening of footways with new paving along N24 Main Street/Bank Place and along N74 Fr. Mathew Street/Cashel Road
- new footways between James Connolly Park and St. Michael’s Avenue (West) and between St. Michael’s Avenue (East) and St. Michael’s Cemetery car park
- upgrade of the car park at St. Michael’s Cemetery with new pavement surfacing, defined car parking spaces, and improved pedestrian and vehicle access from N74 Cashel Road
- upgrade of public lighting along N74 Fr. Mathew Street/Cashel Road
- localised drainage upgrades
- enhanced soft and hard landscaping throughout the scheme
- the provision of upgraded street furniture and
- new town gateway signage at the existing 60kph speed limit on N74 Cashel Road.
Michael Woulfe, Senior Executive Engineer, Tipperary County Council, the project engineer, stated: “The works are designed to transform the public realm along the spine of the town through a series of improvements that will lead to improved road pavement strength and surface quality, reduced vehicle speeds, new and wider footpaths, improved public lighting, and more landscaping. The scheme will also deal with some of the more serious flooding issues.”
Alan Costello, Senior Engineer, Mott MacDonald Ireland, who are the designers of the scheme, added: “The N24 has a collision rate which is twice the average collision rate, while the N74 has a collision rate which is above the average collision rate based on network safety analysis undertaken by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). The scheme has been designed to reduce collisions by implementing safety improvements which will promote traffic calming on Fr. Mathew Street/Cashel Road and maintain reduced speeds through residential and commercial areas, ensure all pedestrian crossings are more conspicuous to improve visibility for motorists and pedestrians, and increase safety for vulnerable road users through improved pedestrian infrastructure in line with the latest design principles and industry best practice.”
John Crosse, Cathaoirleach of the Municipal District commented: “This will be a significant investment in the town and will enhance the public areas through the centre of town, in addition to making it safer for local people, shoppers and visitors to the town. He acknowledged that the works would cause disruption during construction and asked that every effort be made to minimise disruption to protect businesses and those travelling through and around the town each day to school, work and shop.”
Marcus O’Connor, Director of Services, Tipperary County Council, said: “While this scheme will focus on improving the existing N24-N74, it is important to recognise that consultants have been appointed to design a new N24 between Cahir and Limerick Junction, which will bypass Tipperary Town and funding is in place to bring this project through to planning stage”. While acknowledging that this will take some time Mr. O’Connor also confirmed that “the consultants will look at options to alleviate traffic in and around the town in the short to medium term.”
Joe MacGrath, Chief Executive, Tipperary County Council, added: “The council has been working closely with Transport Infrastructure Ireland to advance this project and is delighted that we are now at the formal Part 8 planning stage of this project. This is a significant scheme and investment in Tipperary Town which will transform and enhance the urban environment in the town.”
FURTHER DETAILS
The public can see the plans and particulars of the proposed development, which are available for purchase at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, for a period of 4 weeks from Thursday, October 15th, 2020 to Thursday, November 12th, at the offices of:
Tipperary-Cahir-Cashel Municipal District, Rosanna Road, Tipperary Town
Tipperary County Council, Civic Offices, Emmet Street, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary
Tipperary County Council, Civic Offices, Limerick Road, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary from 9.30am - 4.30pm. Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays)
An online video presentation describing the scheme can be viewed on Tipperary County Council’s website - www.tipperarycoco.ie
Submissions or observations with respect to the proposed development, dealing with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area in which the development will be situated, may be made in writing to Marcus O’Connor, Director of Services, Roads, Transportation and Infrastructure, Tipperary County Council, Civic Offices, Nenagh, Co Tipperary, no later than 4.30pm on Thursday, November 26th.