Long-awaited bypass set to tee off for Ryder Cup in Adare

EVERY effort will be made to ensure the long-awaited Adare bypass is completed ahead of the Ryder Cup in 2027.

That’s according to the Director of Transportation and Mobility with Limerick City and County Council, Brian Kennedy, who was commenting after An Bord Pleanála granted permission for the 35km Limerick to Foynes road.

The decision, which has been widely welcomed in political and business circles, was made last week – nearly three years after the application was first lodged by the council.

The Adare bypass, which will remove around 80% of current traffic from the village, is included in the €450m project. “We are obviously aware of the Ryder Cup (at Adare Manor) in September 2027 and we are looking to do everything possible to have a bypass in place for Adare for the Ryder Cup,” Mr Kennedy told the Limerick Leader.

“We have to get a fair wind behind us to ensure we do and that everything goes well,” he said, adding that “no stone will be left unturned”.

The Ryder Cup, featuring golfers from Europe and the United States, is due to open in late September 2027 at Adare Manor having been postponed a year due to Covid-19.

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Once the window for objections and legal challenges has elapsed, the local authority and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) will look to secure final government approval to progress the project.

Advance works along the 35km route could begin in 2023 and it’s hoped construction of the road could begin in 2025 – more than two years before the Ryder Cup. The entire 35km road could be completed in 2028/29.

Mr Kennedy says a requirement of the main construction contract will be to ensure that the Adare bypass element is completed early on.

“Foynes can only really be connected to the (motorway) network when the entire network is done so we would look to have the Adare bypass as an early deliverable,” he said.