Council gets €1m funding to complete Dingle Relief Road

KERRY County Council now has enough money to complete the final 600m of the Dingle Relief Road, linking Goat Street to the Mail Road, following the announcement this week that €1 million has been granted to the project under the Regional and Local Roads Programme 2019.

Construction started last autumn on the €3.75 million Phase Four of the project, from the Spa Road to Goat Street, and that work is now substantially complete, with most of the tarmac, earthworks, drainage, sewage, electricity, and public lighting facilities in place. The remaining work includes completion of the ‘tie-in’ points where the new road meets both Spa Road and Goat Street, the construction of footpaths and boundary walls, final surfacing and lining.

It is expected that new section of road will be open before the summer, allowing motorists to bypass the centre of Dingle and easing the tourist season traffic jams that have plagued the town.

The overall relief road strategy for Dingle, which is reflected in the current Local Area Plan, included a fifth phase that would link Goat Street with Strand Street and service a proposed car and coach park at Farranakilla. The Council is examining how both this road link and the proposed car and coach park could be funded.

This is something of a wish-list project because, even if money to build the road can be found, the council recognises that “significant land acquisition would be required” and that could be a rather involved and costly process.