Delgany scheme remains in limbo without funds sourced
THE council is ‘waiting to find money’ to do the Delgany village accessibility scheme.
‘NTA funded the design, but their position is that they’re not contributing to the construction,’ said district engineer Ruairi O’Hanlon.
‘ They didn’t feel there was much benefit,’ he said.
Mr O’Hanlon said that he is getting the relevant official in Wicklow to discuss this with the NTA. ‘It is a bus route,’ he said.
‘If they would part fund it, it would make it easier for us to fund the rest.’ He said that they will carry out some path improvement and temporary overlay to the road this year.
‘It’s very frustrating to have gone through the Part 8 process only to hear we don’t have the money to do it,’ said Cathaoirleach of Greystones Municipal District Cllr Derek Mitchell. ‘ This has been going on for 12 years now.’
Cllr Mitchell last asked for a report on the scheme in November.
Members approved the Part 8 in February of 2019.
At that time, the members heard that it will take 18 months at the very least to get the scheme up and running, with funding yet to be secured.
Members heard in February of last year that the scheme would progress to detailed design.
The area in question is along the R762, which is the main route into Delgany off the N11, and runs from the Bellevue Hill junction through the village and on to the Killincarrig roundabout.
A road user audit carried out by the council in 2012 identified a number of road safety and accessibility items to be addressed within the village.
The report made a number of recommendations which were considered and incorporated facilities from Convent Road around the bend to Priory Gate. This will require third-party lands to be acquired.
The existing off-road cycle track east of Elsinore junction will be removed, while planting will be maintained to improve visibility and signs located in the pedestrian footpaths relocated to a position outside of the pedestrian desire lines.
The existing ramped crossing to the east of the junction will be resurfaced and new tactile paving installed.
A shared surface for pedestrians and cyclists is proposed from Delgany National School to Delgany Wood Avenue junction, allowing access to the school from the residential estate. A new verge with landscaping is proposed between the shared surface and the edge of the carriageway. A raised table is proposed over the junction of Church Road/Delgany Wood Avenue. Footpath build-outs and reduced corner radii are proposed at the junction to improve crossing facilities and reduce vehicle approach speeds.
Segregated cycling facilities will continue on Church Road, up to the roundabout at Killincarrig.
It is proposed that the cycle facilities will tie into shared surfaces for pedestrians and cyclists the existing footpaths and travel on shared space around the roundabout.
On the south side of the road, cyclists will be ramped down from the shared surface to the eastbound cycle track.
Raised entry treatments, tactile paving and reduced corner radii are proposed at side road junctions along the road to provide improved pedestrian crossing facilities and reduce vehicle speeds at the junctions.