Petition over Killaloe road work

Residents of a housing estate on the Killaloe side of the new Shannon crossing have signed a petition seeking a high wall and crash barriers for their estate.

Construction of the new bridge and Killaloe bypass is making good progress, with both of these elements of the project on target to be complete by early next year. But the work has resulted in the creation of a new road running adjacent to the Shantraud Woods estate, the height of which has sparked concern among local residents.

“The road is currently over a metre higher than the boundary wall and lots of houses have big safety concerns, should a vehicle leave the road,” said Shantraud resident Karen Hickey. “Our homes and gardens should be safe spaces for our children.”

In their petition, the residents point out that the road will carry a significant volume of traffic once the new bridge between Ballina and Killaloe opens. This, they claim, will pose safety issues as well as noise and light pollution for houses in the estate, some of which are already below the road level and “subject to strong lights from site machinery and vehicles”.

“Knowing a high wall and crash barriers are in place will reduce the fear that current safe spaces where our children play will be under constant threat of a vehicle crashing through, endangering lives,” the Shantraud residents’ petition states.

The residents also raise concerns in relation to security and privacy, claiming that the absence of a boundary wall or barrier “leaves our homes at high risk from opportunistic break-ins and burglaries”. They also make the point about property being devalued. A wall would assist the residents in maintaining Shantraud, enhancing their estate and keeping it litter-free.

“We believe that the construction of a wall and addition of crash barriers would greatly benefit the residents of Shantraud Woods by addressing these concerns,” the petition concludes. “We urge Clare County Council and relevant stakeholders to take our petition into serious consideration and initiate these two actions. We, the residents are open to discussions and are willing to collaborate to ensure the wall is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.”

POLITICAL SUPPORT

The residents have been in contact with local representatives as well as Clare Co Council about the situation. Ms Hickey made it clear that “as residents, we are all for the new bridge. However, safety of the children in our estate and residents in their gardens is paramount.”

The matter was discussed at a meeting of the council’s Killaloe Municipal District last week. Civil engineer with the council and project liaison officer Padraic Cullen said a request was made for a meeting with a small delegation of residents. This is to be facilitated by local councillor Tony O'Brien.

Mr Cullen said the council has referred the residents’ concerns to project consultants RPS and the meeting would take place after they have been addressed.

“We are aware of their concerns and we have forwarded their concerns to the project consultants,” Mr Cullen said. “We're waiting for the consultants to provide a response.”

He added that there have been “numerous political representations” made on the residents' behalf. The matter is being given a high priority.

As lead local authority in the three-phase Shannon crossing project, Mr Cullen said Clare Co Council is satisfied with the progress being made. Completion of the Killaloe bypass is targeted for the last quarter of this year.

The new bridge between Shantraud on the Killaloe side and Roolagh on the Ballina side is targeted for completion in for Q1, 2025.

Mr Cullen anticipated that the upgrade of the R494 Ballina-Birdhill road would be fully complete by the middle of next year.