Cost of traffic plan for Limerick town balloons to €12.5m

THE price-tag on the long-awaited Abbeyfeale traffic management plan has now been put at €12.5m, up from the €4m originally estimated in 2018 when the plan was first drawn up.

Abbeyfeale councillor Liam Galvin has hailed it as a “Rolls Royce” job and an opportunity that few towns in Ireland would get. He is optimistic that work can begin on the project by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Cllr Frances Foley, also based in Abbeyfeale, believes it will give the town a lift. “We need this scheme,” he said.

The increased cost was revealed to councillors at this month’s meeting of the Newcastle West Municipal District by senior executive engineer with the council, Robert Gallagher who said a number of changes to the scheme had been made since 2018. “It is an excellent scheme”, he said.

But the reality, he told councillors, was that the council could not fund the scheme on its own. Transport Infrastructure Ireland had given a commitment in principle of €6-7m, Mr Gallagher said, and he was also pleased to say that the National Transport Authority were also willing to co-fund.

Locals 'frustrated' over lack of progress with traffic management plan in Limerick town

However, in order to eliminate any potential risks arising from the changes to the original plan Mr Gallagher was proposing a “re-run" of the planning process.

“Our hope would be that would allow us to begin construction towards the end of this year,” he said. “I know it is later than we were expecting. We need to be sure our planning is in place,” he said.

The concern, he told councillors, was that somebody could claim they had not been given the opportunity to object to any changes made. “That is the risk that is out there. We are assessing that risk,” he said. The planning section, was currently working on a compliance report and on the basis of that report, the decision would be made.

Getting through the original Part 8 planning process wasn’t easy, Cllr John Sheahan said and he didn’t think it would be good to open it up again. But he wanted to know the “chronology” of how the project would be undertaken.

Volunteers sought to help plant Ireland's first micro-forest in Limerick

“What I hear is a great vote of confidence in the town,” Cllr Frances Foley said. “The business people are anxious to get this scheme up and running. I can’t see many objections. We need this scheme.”

He raised local concerns about the condition of Riordan’s pub, which was bought by the council and due to be demolished to make way for off-street parking. Could the demolition happen before the summer, he asked.

Cllr Michael Collins voiced concerns about the increase in costs. How much was down to new additions and how much to increases in labour and material, he asked.

Mr Gallagher said it had been agreed to go for a high quality scheme and they would be going for a fixed price lump-sum contract. “There is a certain amount of robustness in that estimate,” he said.

“It could come in cheaper.” The work, he said, could take from 12 to 15 months.

“We are after going from a Mini to a Mercedes here,” declared Cllr Liam Galvin “There are very few towns in Ireland will ever get it.”

If a new Part 8 planning is required, he said, it needed to be explained to people that it was just a rubber stamp for what had already been agreed.