CONSTRUCTION will begin on Active Travel infrastructure along a section of the Father Russell Road this month, and locals have raised huge concerns over the impact on traffic congestion.
The project, which will see the installation of segregated cycle lanes on both sides of the road from Quinn’s Cross to the junction with the Gouldavoher residential area, will see works commence on Monday October 16.
The footpath and cycling facilities at Racefield Roundabout will also be upgraded, along with overall improvements to crossing facilities for pedestrians and cyclists at junctions.
The works, which are anticipated to take nine months to complete, will be done on a phased basis, beginning around the Gouldavoher section.
Construction will then move to High Meadows, Ballinvoher, Cragaun, and finally on to the Racefield Roundabout.
Works are anticipated to run on weekdays from 8am until 6pm in the winter period, with an extension until 8pm over the summer period. A traffic management system will be in place for the duration of the works.
“The Father Russell Road Scheme is going to be a really important Active Travel link for those living and working in the Raheen and Dooradoyle areas when completed,” explained Active Travel Senior Engineer Sean McGlynn.
“We appreciate there may be some short-term difficulties in terms of traffic flow on the road and appreciate the patience required of local residents in the next number of months.
“However, in the long term, the scheme will be a key residential, commercial, and employment connector and deliver significant benefits to the area, as identified in the Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy.”
The project received an allocation of €1million in funding from the National Transport Authority (NTA) in 2023, having been allocated €200,000 in 2022.
With works expected to interrupt the regular flow of traffic over the 9-month duration of the project, concerns have been raised locally about congestion at peak times. Local Fine Gael councillor Daniel Butler has called for the Council to use some common sense.
“I have been vocal for some time now on the deteriorating traffic levels in the area. As a local myself, dropping my daughter to school on my way to work I am experiencing it first hand. Now, Limerick Council have decided to issue a tender with an 8am start time on works on Fr Russell Road. This means the huge tailbacks we all experience in the area are about to get far worse,” he said.
“I have made a formal request for some sense of sanity to prevail and look at a minimum 9am start to give workers and parents some chance to get where they need to get to.
“The residents of the area, and those who work in the area, share the very same concerns. There has been outpouring of anger and rage that, to be fair, is very understandable.”
The contractor for the project is to appoint a dedicated liaison officer who will deal with day-to-day queries on an ongoing basis, and a leaflet is soon to be delivered to local residents along the route.
