'Timeline is tight' for the Adare bypass to be ready for the Ryder Cup

LIMERICK County Council has told firms seeking to tender for the construction of the €150 Millon Adare bypass road scheme that the new motorway section of the project must be complete in advance of the 2027 Ryder Cup.

In a breakthrough for the long anticipated project, Limerick County Council is seeking tenders from companies for the design and construction of the road scheme that will eliminate daily traffic bottlenecks in the Limerick village.

JP McManus’s 5-star Adare Manor Hotel and Golf Resort is staging the Ryder Cup event in September 2027 where the world’s best known golfers including Rory McIlroy and current Masters champion, Scottie Scheffler will be participating.

The extensive tender documentation states that the 7km of motorway from Croagh to Adare section “is required to be fully operational by June 2027, in advance of the 2027 Ryder Cup.”

The council has set a deadline of September 6, 2024 for the submission of tenders and the tender documentation states that the council will endeavour to award the contract within six months. 

The requirement to complete the motorway in time for the Ryder Cup is a focus in the tender documentation.

Firms to tender for the project are being asked by the council specifically to describe their proposed delivery approach to ensure that the completion of the Adare Bypass by June 2027 is achieved.

Companies are being asked on their approach to identifying, managing and mitigating the key risks to achieving the completion by June 2027. 

The tender also asks firms to show “how you will make best use of the experience of your team in successfully delivering similar projects to challenging timescales to ensure completion by June 2027.”

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The Director of Corporate Communications with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), Sean O’Neill said on Tuesday that the issuing of the tender for the construction and design for the Adare bypass “is a significant milestone for Limerick County Council’s and TII’s project team.”

However, Mr O’Neill cautioned “but there is a big challenge ahead to get the Adare bypass completed in time for the Ryder Cup in 2027.”

He said: “In November 2023, the Government directed TII and Limerick County Council to move forward with progressing the Adare bypass, which is a key component of the N69 Foynes to Limerick TEN-T road project. 

“The decision to bring forward the construction of this section of the project will assist in the delivering the Adare bypass for the Ryder Cup, but the timeline is tight."

Mr O'Neill added: “The event will be held at Adare Manor in September 2027 and if delivered, the bypass would assist traffic management during this global sporting event, but more importantly this sectional completion would reduce the negative impacts of traffic congestion within Adare, reduce journey times throughout region as well as improve safety for all road users.”

The tender states that the following works are currently ongoing on the Adare by-pass scheme - topographical survey; archaeological survey work; geotechnical investigation; ecological survey; Utility GPR survey; and water quality survey. 

The Adare bypass design and construction contract is part of Section D of the larger €450 million Foynes to Limerick Road project.