Councillors fear greenway plan is getting priority over Cork-Limerick road upgrade

Fianna Fáil councillor Pat Hayes said the badly needed Mallow Northern Relief Road hasn’t received proper funding to progress it.

“We were trying to get a bypass around Mallow for the safety of people.

I think it’s unbelievable with all the tragedies we’ve had in Ballybeg and Charleville that a greenway’s getting priority. I think the motorway is crucial and that’s where the focus should be.

Fine Gael councillor John Paul O’Shea said: “As a council we must express need to progress the N/M20 first.”

Councillors were told that TII has determined that the Charleville-Patrickswell greenway will be developed independently from the active travel/greenway which is proposed to run alongside the upgraded N/M20 from Charleville to Cork.

Mr O’Shea said he is surprised at this and it should be the latter progressed first.

He won support from colleagues to write to TII “marking their card” with the concerns they had raised.

It was decided that the councillors will not make a decision until it is debated at a meeting to take place in County Hall on June 12.

Council officials said consultants would be appointed shortly to design the greenway and a route corridor for it, adding that the strategic assessment report had identified the former railway line as “an obvious option”.

They said that when a route is identified public consultation on the proposal will get underway.