Bypass, inner relief road or ring road? A road by any other name is still a road, right? However, much depends on the type of road we get.
As pressure mounts to get the heavy traffic out of Tipperary Town, different outcomes are being proposed by different people. This has led to a number of different terms being used for solutions and it is easy to become confused about that is being proposed. This article looks at the various proposals and explains the meaning of the terms being used. Click below to have it all explained.
"Inner Relief Road" - proposed by Tipperary County Council
Tipperary County Council says it intends to divert N24 traffic by a different route through the town. Their last proposal, which was defeated by the former Town Council, involved a road behind Canon Hayes Park, connecting with a roundabout at the top of O'Brien Street, proceeding down through the former Anthony Buckley Modern Motors garage, down along the Ara River, emerging beside the Royal Hotel onto Abbey Street, along Link Road and joining the Bansha Road at Ach Na Sheen guesthouse. The following excerpt from a recent press release shows that it is back in their plans.
- Recent Tipperary County Council Press Release on their intended "Inner Relief Road"
Critics of this plan say that it will only move the traffic congestion, noise and air pollution to different parts of the town. They point to the World Health Organisation who say that it not a solution to reroute traffic noise through different parts of a community. Critics also point to the fact that the N24 would travel in front of a busy school and cut across pedestrian access by pupils to the town itself. A substantial number of people live along that route.
The Council appears to base the need to travel over "existing infrastructure" on cost issues. In particular, they say that if funding for a ring road (explained later) around the town is required, it would endanger funding for the long-awaited bypass (also explained later). That claim by the Council, however, rings fairly hollow. It suggests that money spent now on a ring road would endanger funding for a "proper bypass".
It is highly unlikely that any serious expenditure on a bypass would occur before 8 to 10 years time. This is when land would be bought and construction would begin. Governments operate on annual budgets. There may be long term plans, but expenditure of money on capital projects like roads is decided annually.
Indeed, that financial decision could be two governments down the track. So, to suggest that money spent over the next couple of years on a ring road would endanger expenditure several years later is a bit iffy in terms of logic and credibility.
"Ring Road" - proposed by March4Tipp
March4Tipp have proposed the construction of a road that brings traffic around the town, rather than through it. It would travel over a green field route and connect the Limerick and Waterford roads, diverting all N24 passing traffic around the town. This would probably cost more than the Council's proposed alternative route through the town as more new road would have to be laid. It is estimated that it could take 2 to 3 years to deliver. March4Tipp says that actual route selection is a matter for road planners and designers.
Supporters say that the higher cost of "doing it properly" are justified in terms of the health and economic impacts of the N24 traffic on the town. They also point to the increased use of Rosslare Port in the event of a no-deal Brexit, which would mean that much of the commercial heavy goods traffic from the West and Mid-West could be travelling through Tipperary Town, adding to the current 7,000 traffic movements through the town each day.
Supporters also point to the fact that Tipperary Town has been leap-frogged by several other towns in Ireland when it came to being approved for road construction projects, largely due to political considerations. Indeed, it looks like Minister Share Ross is likely to approve a bypass for Adare due to the Ryder Cup golf competition being held there in 2026.
A "Bypass" - brought to you by the fairies?
In 2000, the government of the day approved a bypass, running from Pallas Green to Bansha. It passed all the various stages of route selection, design and environmental impact study. It was ready for real money to be spent when real money ran out at the start of the last recession. It would be acceptable for an ordinary person to expect that it would be built when money became available again. Wrong. It got dumped.
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The latest national plan has the N24 bypass listed along with 23 other projects "for consideration during the lifetime of the plan". The lifetime of the plan is 10 years, so the only commitment by the government is to "consider it" during that time. Getting the fairy reference now?
The Council has recently been talking about a Bansha to Limerick Junction bypass, which they say has gone to the early stages of a proposal. This project, if it manages to get through all of the design, approval, and finance stages, would be delivered in about 10 to 15 years time. March4Tipp point out that this is too long for Tipperary Town to wait. However, while pressing for a ring road in the shorter term, they say that a bypass would be welcome when, and if, it is eventually delivered. They say the a ring road could be designed to provide a part of the bypass, similar to what occurred in Cashel with the M8.
Hopefully this article helped to explain the 3 main proposals being discussed and promoted at the moment.
Summary
Inner Relief Road - rerouting the N24 through other parts of the town.
Ring Road - creating a new road around the town and diverting N24 traffic onto that.
Bypass - a much longer road, possibly running from Bansha to Limerick Junction.
