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The Dale Road.
FUNDING of €300,000 from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport is to go towards works to prepare the R556 Dale Road for full reconstruction.
Kerry Fine Gael TD and Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Brendan Griffin welcomed the funding which is part of an overall increase in Kerry Regional and Local Roads funding for 2019 of 19% on the initial 2018 allocation and 48% on the initial 2017 funding.
The stretch between Abbeydorney and Ballyduff is the scene of frequent accidents and this funding is a step towards making the road shovel ready for full works in 2020.
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Minister Griffin said: “This is hugely significant for the R556. Kerry County Council (KCC) recently applied to our Department for funding and I am delighted to be announcing this grant of €300,000 to go towards preliminary works and land acquisition.
Cllr. Aoife Thornton, said: “I am delighted that the Minister and the Department has granted this funding following KCC’s recent step to make an application in respect of the R556, a step that I had fought for since my election to Kerry County Council in 2014.
“This stretch of road is a key access artery for North Kerry and is very busy all year round but especially in the summer months, with coaches travelling to and from Ballybunion. The road is narrow, with severe sagging in places and is elevated above the surrounding lands with unguarded edges.”
Minister Griffin concluded: “I am glad to have helped to deliver this significant step for the many commuters and other road users who use this road regularly. Aoife and I brought Minister Ross to see the danger of this road on-site last summer and we also met officials in the Department before Christmas to press the case for funding on safety grounds.”
