Update issued on proposed extension of Adare bypass towards Limerick City

LIMERICK City and County Council has said that its ambition is to have cars on the Adare bypass extension by July 2027 in time for the Ryder Cup.

While construction of the initial Limerick to Foynes Road, including the bypass of Adare village is well-advanced, the local authority is looking at ways to extend it by three-and-a-half kilometres on the city side.

As things stand, the bypass of Adare village will begin on the city side opposite Adare Manor Golf Club, and end at Smithfield near Croagh.

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It means traffic will still gather on the N21, which has just a single lane each way.

The road through Adare at the moment is renowned for traffic jams, and Fianna Fail councillor Bridie Collins, who is based in the village, has said that the way the bypass is planned at the moment, the status-quo will be maintained. Instead, she wants to see the bypass extended by three kilometres in the direction of the city to meet the M20 at Attyflin near Patrickswell.

Council confirmed that it is “exploring various options” to deliver this.

“Limerick City and County Council continues to engage with the Department of Transport, and Transport Infrastructure Ireland,” a spokesperson for the authority said. “The ambition is to have traffic travelling on the extension by July 2027, ahead of the Ryder Cup being staged in Adare.”

Cllr Collins has welcomed the move, and said the estimated cost of €40m will be “insignificant” if it cuts traffic through Adare village, especially in the morning and evening peaks.

“I’ve had people from as far away as Tipperary and Cork ring me about this. That road is so busy, and the majority of people may have travelled it at some stage in their lives. Anybody travelling that road will be very familiar with it. We’d have made several day trips to Dingle, and when stopping, had conversations with people on their experience of travelling through Adare,” Cllr Collins told Limerick Live.