Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I refer to the programme for Government and the roads programme. Some 5,000 people marched in Tipperary town on Saturday. They are a wonderful crowd of people and some wonderful community activists. The N24 bypass on the road from Limerick to Waterford was planned but following considerations from the Government is now to go from Limerick to Cork under the next capital investment plan. Yesterday, the Taoiseach mentioned that €1 billion was available to small towns like this. Can any of that be used for a short bypass to be built to motorway standards around Tipperary town in order to alleviate the problems caused by chronic traffic, particularly lorries, and allow the people some space to redevelop their town? There is no point in saying that all this money is there if it cannot be used for projects such as this. We badly need a bypass or ring road for the town but we are put on the hind tit, even though it is saving €400 million by going from Limerick to Cahir and then going to Cork or Waterford, however, because of political influence, the Government chose to go down the other corridor to Cork city.

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