Taoiseach drawn into Fossa Road row as subject raised in Dáil
Kerry TD Danny Healy-Rae told the Taoiseach that people are very upset and concerned with works being carried out between the Golden Nugget Bar and the Gap Cross outside Killarney.
Deputy Healy-Rae said the works have seen the width of the carriageway reduced, while the footpaths, cycleways and grass margin are wider than the road on each side.
'There are videos of buses trying to pass each other. They have to pull in their mirrors to get by. People are concerned about the value for money. I ask that until some review, investigation or assessment is done and people are sure of what is happening, no more of this kind of work be carried out,' he said.
'It is proposed to do the same work on the N22 from the Cork side into Killarney, to eliminate and take away Daly's roundabout and to narrow the carriageway. I ask that a proper assessment and review of value for money be carried out before that happens.'
The Taoiseach said he understood to some degree what Deputy Healy-Rae was saying.
'There should be a thorough evaluation of the value-for-money aspects of any of these projects and everybody should be clear on the objective,' he stated.
'Sometimes it is to provide for cyclists, but sometimes the roads are so narrow to begin with that the outcome of works makes it difficult for everybody to use such a carriageway. I have seen it myself. Some roads are historically narrow.'
Deputy Healy-Rae said the section of the Fossa Road was the widest part of the route around the Ring of Kerry.
'We are looking to widen the rest of it and what did they do? They narrowed the good bit of road that we had,' he said.
'Tractors, agricultural vehicles and hauliers cannot pass each other anymore.'
The Taoiseach supposed that these vehicles should not be passing each other anyway, and said he would come back to Deputy Healy-Rae and talk to him about the road.
The traffic calming works ongoing on the section of the N72 are intended to slow down vehicles travelling on the route, which is adjacent to Fossa National School.
The works have been the source of some controversy in recent weeks, with locals and operators of large vehicles relaying their concerns to Killarney councillors.
Local representatives, speaking at last week's fiery Killarney Municipal District Meeting, proposed to Kerry County Council (KCC) that the road be widened while works are still ongoing.
Frank Hartnett, director of services for roads and transportation at KCC, rebuffed the councillors' proposal for the road to be widened to 6.5m.
Mr Hartnett said roads that are 6.5m wide have not seen a reduction in speed while routes that are 6m in width have been effective at slowing down traffic.
He said the local authority is satisfied to continue working on the road, and that the works must align with the planning granted to it in 2022, which was subject to a public consultation.
The section of the N72 will have been reduced to six metres in width when the project is largely completed by the end of July.
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