Tipperary County Council has confirmed it now owns all the land needed for the long-promised Thurles Inner Relief Road.
But with no funding in place for construction, locals fear it is yet another stalling tactic while the badly needed, long awaited Bypass Ring Road is left on the back-burner until at least 2040.
The scheme, first floated years ago, would provide a 1.1 km road link from Slievenamon Road at the Clongour Road junction (N62) to Mill Road. It would include five new junctions, a 50-metre arch bridge across the River Suir, and associated lighting. The land, all of it lying within the Suir River floodplain, has been purchased by the Council, though the cost of same remains undisclosed.
Land granted courtesy of other residents along the Mill Road will allow for a long awaited footpath extension to form part of a safe walking route in the area, affectionately known currently as “Fat Arse Boulevard”.
Traffic modelling suggests the additional bridge might, cut congestion in the town centre at best by 15%.
But for many residents, the fanfare around this land acquisition rings hollow. Without construction funding, the Inner Relief Road risks remaining just another paper project for between 3-5 years.
Locals argue this recent announcement is designed to mask the continued failure to deliver a 50 year old Ring Road plan; latter a project seen as essential to tackle an ever increasing gridlock in the town.
Once again, they say, Thurles has been left waiting and badly let down by local politicians latter who have two offices funded by taxpayers within the town centre.
They can’t even keep the river Suir tidy, never mind taking on a job such as the Ring Road, Unless County Council.