Minister Opens Rathscannell Road And Turns Sod On Listowel Bypass

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The Rathscanell Road officially opened by Minister Naughton following €7.8m upgrade in North Kerry. Pictured are Brendan Griffin TD , Minister Naughton , Minister Norma Foley , Jimmy Moloney Mayor of Kerry and Mike Kennelly. Photo By : Domnick Walsh © Eye Focus LTD

THE Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Hildegarde Naughton TD had a busy Thursday in north Kerry as she performed two official tasks.

The Minister turned the sod on the €61m Listowel Bypass project and performed the official reopening of the R556 Rathscannell (Dale) road between Abbeydorney and Ballyduff which has undergone a €7.8m reconstruction and resurfacing upgrade.

The Listowel bypass will provide a new 6km carriageway and significantly improve road access and connectivity in north Kerry.

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The Cathaoirleach of Kerry County Council, Cllr Jimmy Moloney, hailed the turning of the sod on the Listowel Bypass as hugely important and beneficial for north Kerry.

“The turning of the sod by Minister Naughton today represents a major milestone in delivering this project and we look forward to its completion within the next two years.’

The Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Hildegarde Naughton TD has turned the sod on the €61m Listowel Bypass project which will provide a new 6km carriageway and significantly improve road access and connectivity in north Kerry. Photo By : Domnick Walsh © Eye Focus LTD

Minister Naughton said: ‘I am delighted to be here today to celebrate an important day for Kerry’s road network with Kerry County Council.  The new N69 Listowel Bypass will provide much needed relief of congestion and improvements in road safety and journey times for the town. It will reduce journey times by up to 6 minutes and reduce traffic volumes by up to 40%.’

“As well as this the inclusion of additional cycle facilities will provide residents with safer Active Travel facilities and form part of the 100+km cycling and walking route which will eventually link Limerick to Fenit via Listowel and Tralee,” she said.

Chief Executive of Kerry County Council, Moira Murrell said: ‘Work commenced on this major project in February for a year of preliminary works. It is a major undertaking from an engineering perspective including three new roundabouts and a new bridge over the River Feale and very significant ground works, public lighting, fencing and landscaping. I commend the contractors, Wills Brothers as well as the staff of our own National Road Design Office and their engineering consultants Jacobs Engineering Ireland for their efforts so far.’

Earlier, Minister Naughton and Cllr Moloney officially opened the Rathscannell Road which was reconstructed and resurfaced by the direct labour of Council crews over the past year and a half.

The project, which commenced in September 2020, consists of a newly constructed 2.2km length of carriageway and adjacent local roads on the strategic route to and from north Kerry which will improve road safety and be of significant benefit to the locality and the region.

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