Limerick County Council has received notification from An Bord
Pleanála of its decision to refuse permission for the proposed N21 Adare
Bypass in Co Limerick.
The agency decided to reject the proposed bypass to the south of the town quoting ongoing uncertainty in relation to the proposed M20 Cork to Limerick Motorway project, which was withdrawn from An Bord Pleanala following a Government direction in November 2011.
It has been proposed that 8.5 kilometres of dual carriageway and associated side roads will link the N21 National Primary Route to the M20/N20 National Primary Route through the townlands of Garraunboy, Boherbraddagh, Baurnalicka, Finniterstown, Granard, Dunnaman, Beabus, Derryvinnane, Castleroberts, Caherass, Fanningstown and Garranroe, County Limerick.
Limerick County Council has expressed disappointment with An Bord Pleanala’s decision. The local authority says it will review the decision in the coming weeks and will also be discussing the matter with the National Roads Authority (NRA).
Commenting on the background to the N21 Adare Bypass Project, Tim Fitzgerald, Senior Engineer, stated: “A bypass of Adare has been an objective of Limerick County Council for many years. The provision of this vital infrastructural project would remove a major bottleneck on the National Primary Road Network thereby improving economic efficiency and journey time reliability for approximately 15,425 vehicles per day, Improve safety for all road users, divert through traffic away from the town centre, and further improve the local town environment for residents, commercial businesses and tourism.
“The decision by An Bord Pleanala to refuse the approval of the Scheme is therefore very disappointing for Limerick County Council. It means that approximately 10,000 vehicles per day, that would have used a bypass, will continue to have to needlessly traverse the town of Adare for the foreseeable future resulting in the delays and tailbacks experienced by the N21 motorists on a near daily basis. It is disappointing that Limerick County Council and the Landowners affected along the route have had to wait over two and half years from the application date to get a decision.
“Limerick County Council will now review the decision and will be in discussion with the National Roads Authority in relation to this decision,” Mr. Fitzgerald concluded.
