'Build underground road to connect planned student halls up to University of Limerick'

A LOCAL councillor has called for either an underground road or an overpass to be built to connect a new student accommodation development to University of Limerick (UL).

Groody Developments has secured conditional planning permission from Limerick City and County Council to develop a massive development which will see 1,400 new beds for students delivered.

It’s planned for land fronting the Groody Road and Dublin Road in Castletroy.

READ MORE: Ryder Cup in Limerick to be ‘most exciting sporting event ever in Ireland’

But Fine Gael councillor Peter Doyle, a businessman by profession, said if the units are fully occupied, it would lead to “gridlock".

“We’ll end up with 1,000 students with 1,000 cars. The ones who will not be driving their cars to UL who will endeavour to walk will have to cross the R445. There is no provision for them to cross.”

In order to solve this, he made the suggestion of extra road capacity.

“I had thought in my own mind that maybe we could build an underground passageway onto the Dublin Road, or else we will have to build an overpass like in Dublin,” he said.

He made the comments at this month’s metropolitan district meeting after Independent councillor Ursula Gavan led calls for the fast-tracking of a traffic management plan for the area.

“Castletroy is one of the fastest growing urban areas in Limerick and already experiencing severe congestion during peak hours with significant delays from the Mackey Roundabout, Dublin Road, Plassey Park Road, the Groody Roundabout, up to the Parkway and across to Ballysimon,” she said.

There was support for her call from councillors Shane Hickey-O’Mara, Elena Secas and Maria Donoghue who called for a similar plan for Mary Immaculate College.