Locals meet with Minister of State over deferral of Tullamore to Kilbeggan road plan

A group of local people from the Tullamore/Durrow area met with Minister of State at the Department of Transport and at the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications Jack Chambers, to highlight the need for the mothballed plan for a new road between Tullamore and Kilbeggan.

The meeting was organised by Deputy Barry Cowen, on foot of a request from Cllr Tony McCormack.

Cllr McCormack explained: "The reason for this meeting was to meet with the Minister and to explain to him the safety issues for the local people using the N52 road in and around the two crossroads in Durrow."

The future of the long-planned N52 link road between Tullamore and Kilbeggan is shrouded in doubt after Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) failed to provide any funding for the works either from 2022 or 2023 allocations.

Already a preferred route corridor has been published. It is circa 8.1km in length and maximises use of existing upgraded sections of the N52, including the Tullamore Bypass at the south and the approach to the M6 junction at the north

The options selection report, which will identify the emerging preferred route for the road, was due to be published in the first quarter of this year. However, there appears little sign that the project will progress any further, following comments by Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan recently.

Cllr McCormack said he had sought with the meeting with Minister Chambers following remarks by Minister Ryan to Offaly County Council recently that the road would not be built for at least another ten to fifteen years.

Cllr McCormack said the meeting with Minister Ryan did not include any discussion on the road.

"It only allowed us to pose questions and make statements and he answered three questions at once and we were not allowed to come back in, which made it hard to hammer home the safety concerns for road users. That’s why I asked Barry Cowen to arrange a meeting with Minister Chambers," Cllr McCormack explained.

Minister Chambers is Chair of the Road Safety Committee and is also Minister of State in the Department of Transport.

"I put together a group of local people who represented the community. We met with the minister last week and were delighted with his response. We pushed home the safety issues that people using the road have on a daily basis. Minister Chambers, said that we would not get this road back on the road building plan for this year but that he would work hard with his colleagues in the Department of Transport and Barry Cowen TD to get it on next year’s list," Cllr McCormack added.