Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his reply, even though the content of it does not rest well with me. In my initial comments I stated we would not see a Thurles bypass in my lifetime and the reply confirms this. With regard to the specific questions I asked about when funding will be made available, the local authority has made it a priority project and advancement of the project is wholly dependent on money being made available from the Department.

The retail businesses in the town cannot survive with the congestion there currently. The local authority's estimation of what this would cost is approximately €5.5 million and the lifeline it would give to our town is immense. It is galling that we have such a good rail infrastructure and we are within two miles of a motorway but the traffic congestion in the town is still hampering our development. In the past 30 years our town has seen closure after closure of factories. We consider that one of the major inhibitors to attracting jobs to the town is the congestion. Anyone trying to get from A to B in the morning or evening can lose 45 minutes to an hour getting from one end of the town to the other, which is hard to believe about a provincial town. A second river crossing is absolutely essential. It is very easy to understand why the congestion is there with only one river crossing in place. I implore the Minister to put in place a timeline for funding to be made available to the local authority so it can proceed with this essential infrastructure for Thurles. It is the only obstacle there at present. The local authority has prioritised this as essential infrastructure for Thurles and the economic viability of the town. We need a commitment on a timeframe for the funding.

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