Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to get the opportunity to raise again the proposed Killarney bypass. I have raised this matter several times in this Chamber since I was elected to it in 2016. The Minister was in the Black Valley in Kerry last Friday. It was good to see a Minister in the Black Valley because it is a very remote place and we are glad that connectivity has improved with the launch of broadband in that area.

We need continued funding in this year's infrastructure investment programme to deliver the long-awaited Killarney bypass from Lissyviggen to Farranfore and from Lissyviggen to Castlelough on the Muckross Road. The safety of motorists is being compromised daily at the existing junctions at Coolcaslagh, Ballycasheen, Lewis Road and Aghadoe. Houdini would do well to escape and get on to the N22 at the bottom of Aghadoe. People's lives are in their hands daily trying to cross that road with cars coming out from Killarney as well. Coolgarriv, Farranfore, Gortnacurra and Fieries junction come on to the N22.

Many of the roads into Killarney are dedicated car parks. Every morning, the Tralee road from Dunrine to the Cleeny roundabout is bumper to bumper, with fierce delays. People coming down from Aghadoe cannot even get into the line of traffic at the bottom of Madam's Hill. It is backed up to Knockasarnet, Caragh and Aghadoe. Most days, cars are parked up as far as the railway crossing coming into Killarney from the Cork Road on the N22 out to the railway crossing, jammed at the Lissyviggen roundabout with people trying to exit on to the N22 coming from Barraduff off the N72. Mission Road is constantly bumper to bumper all day every day. It is a dedicated car park from Cliffords' football pitch entrance to Ballydowney, and up Hans Liebherr Road to the Cleeny roundabout is bumper to bumper every evening from 4.30 p.m to 6.30 p.m. Many evenings from 4.30 until after 6, the ring road from the Cleeny roundabout to the O'Shea roundabout and the Park Road roundabout is bumper to bumper, and people are so frustrated trying to get through to go the Cork Road to Barraduff. Thousands of visitors to Muckross House and the lakes of Killarney use the bumpiest road from Abbey Cross to Kenmare Place on top of all the people from Kenmare and Sneem who have to go through Killarney to get to Tralee or Limerick or further up the country and have to go around Kenmare Place instead of going across from Castlelough where the proposed bypass is to be located on to Lissyviggen and off up the country. The delay in Muckross Road is unbearable most of the time.

I demand that TII identify the preferred route next month as has been promised. As four possible routes were being assessed for many years, hundreds of acres of land have been effectively sterilised for more than 20 years. People could not get planning permission for family homes or farm buildings. They could not even build a hen house because of these four possible routes. We need to have the route defined very soon.

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