Death-trap' road in Offaly needs priority funding without further delay

The response from the Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan regarding the dangers along the N52 between the N4 intersection at Kilbeggan to the Tullamore bypass, has been described as lacking any sense of real urgency and as "simply more of the same guff that we have been listening to for years now" by Independent TD Carol Nolan.

Deputy Nolan had asked the minister if he would urgently reconsider the allocation of funding specifically to address the ongoing concerns of the Durrow community as well as all parties who are affected by the dangers presented by the dangerous stetch of road that has been in clear need of a new link-road:

“We are way beyond the point now where the minister can get away with constantly referring the matter to the attention of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII),” said Deputy Nolan.

“The minister tells me that both TII and Offaly County Council are “aware of visibility and safety issues on the N52 at Durrow, and that work is underway to design a new junction,” but this does not advance us in any way from the position we have been stuck in for the last number of years.”

“We keep hearing that the link road is being ‘prioritised’ but this is absolutely meaningless in the absence of the actual link-road being constructed.”

“The Durrow community and indeed many others, have time and again presented an overwhelming case for action that I have consistently supported. It is high time that action was delivered and not just talked about as the subject of vague commitments with no real outcome,” concluded Deputy Nolan.