BYPASS NEEDS CASH ON THE TABLE NOW
TD WARNS THAT LONG AWAITED MACROOM BYPASS WILL TAKE YEARS TO COMPLETE IF FUNDING ISN’T MADE AVAILABLE NOW
CORK North West TD, Aindrias Moynihan has said that while the installation of fencing along the proposed Macroom Bypass route is a positive development, unless the full funding is allocated in the soon to be announced Capital Development Plan, the project’s future is not secure.
“I’ve seen comments from other political representatives welcoming wholeheartedly the fencing, and yes, of course, it’s a positive step. However, the reality is that if the full €170 million isn’t included in the Capital Development Plan, we won’t see any real progress for years.
“This project, in addition to the M20 project, needs to be expressly mentioned in this new plan for these fencing works to have any real meaning.
“Other projects have had fencing installed and saw no progress for years. The same cannot be allowed happen to the Macroom Bypass.
“The importance of the Macroom Bypass project cannot be overstated. Macroom is suffering economically because of congestion in the town.
“A completed bypass will allow the town to be taken back by the local community, and allow businesses to grow and develop.
“Too many people decide to not stop in Macroom to shop because of the difficulty in getting around and getting parking.
“We are in this situation because of a short sighted decision by Fine Gael in 2011 to slash capital investment in infrastructure. The country is playing catch up, and because of this backlog, many projects have been put on the back burner.
“Macroom needs its bypass, and it needs money on the table now to make it a reality,” concluded Moynihan.