The green light has been given to a long-awaited infrastructure project in North Clare, which aims to alleviate traffic congestion at a notorious traffic blackspot.
A High Court ruling has paved the way for the Ennistymon Inner Relief Road to progress to the next stage.
In September 2022, An Bórd Pleanála approved Clare County Council’s Compulsory Purchase Order to acquire the land necessary to construct an Inner Relief Road in Ennistymon.
The project aims to deal with longstanding traffic congestion at Blake’s Corner, a key junction in the town, but the process was stalled in November that year, after a judicial review was sought.
Almost three years on, the High Court last week dismissed the application for leave to bring a judicial review challenge against the CPO for the inner relief road, allowing the infrastructure project to move forward.
The scheme includes the construction of a new bridge upstream of the historic Michael Conway Bridge, pedestrianisation of the existing bridge, and significant public realm improvements.
The Council has today confirmed that in partnership with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), it will now proceed to the next stages of the development, which will include detailed design development, conclusion of the land acquisition and planning for the construction phase.
The local authority says that while a definitive construction start date has not yet been confirmed, it remains fully committed to progressing the project in a timely and responsible manner, with regular updates to be provided to the public as milestones are reached.
