Tipperary County Council is pleased to announce that it proposes 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:
Michael Woulfe, Senior Executive Engineer, Tipperary County Council, the project engineer, stated that “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, stated that “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 stated that “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, stated that “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, said “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”.
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, 15th October 2020 to Thursday, 12th November 2020, at the offices of:
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 4.30 p.m. on Thursday, 26th November 2020.
Project Timelines & Key Dates
Planning Stage
Future Stages (estimated)
Plans and Particulars of the Proposed Development