Months of traffic restrictions in Limerick for construction of Rugby Experience buliding

SIGNIFICANT traffic restrictions are to be implemented in Limerick city centre for a number of months to facilitate construction of the multi-million euro International Rugby Experience.

Limerick City and County Council says a new traffic management system will commence at O’Connell Street, between Roches Street and Cecil Street, from 10am this Friday.

“A no left turn prohibition will be introduced to prohibit traffic turning from O’Connell Street to Cecil Street. In addition traffic on Lower Cecil Street will be prohibited from entering Cecil Street,” states a public notice from the local authority.

The council said existing night-time taxi ranks on the South side of O’Connell Street will be relocated to the North side and on to Cecil Street.

This temporary traffic management system will remain in operation for up to four months.

As previously revealed by the Limerick Leader, leading exhibition design group Event Communications London, which was involved in the Titanic visitor centre in Belfast, along with the National Army Museum in London and the touring Meet Vincent Van Gogh Experience, have been awarded the contract to work on the development, which is backed by JP McManus and Paul O’Connell.

It is hoped the project, which has been designed by architect Niall McLaughlin, will be completed by early 2021 and there is confidence that the early targets of 100,000 visitors a year will be comfortably met.

The International Rugby Experience will be located in a seven-storey building with a two-storey portico fronting onto O’Connell Street.

There will be a two-storey block to the rear and the building will also incorporate civic spaces and meeting rooms.

Inside, the development will see a “multi-media visitor experience, exhibition and education space” plus retail and cafe at ground floor levels.

Around 100 people will be employed when the experience opens.