Tallow celebrates funding for road
For the past 12 years the local Parents Council has been campaigning for a new road that would link Chapel Street to the national school at New Street.
Situated in a cul-de-sac, the parents believed the location of the school endangered their children’s lives.
Only the provision of the new road would eliminate that danger, they warned
The hope is that eventually the new road will connect with the main Tallow/Youghal route to create a much more free-flowing traffic system within the town boundary.
Throughout his six years on Waterford County Council, local councillor James Tobin has also been unrelentingly championing the case for a new road.
Now the breakthrough has finally come with confirmation from the Department of the Environment of a €300,000 allocation for the work.
“The funding has been given the sanction of the Department and it will be included in Waterford County Council’s budget for 2006,” said Mr Tobin.
“I would expect that work will start reasonably soon and all going well it should be completed by the end of the year.”
To pave the way for the new road, the local authority first had to acquire and then demolish two houses on the proposed route.
The funding, however, remained the problem, with a cash-strapped council unable to meet the cost.
Repeated representations to the Department of the Environment have now reaped the hoped-for dividend and Mr Tobin has been given assurances by council officials that work on the construction of the new road will proceed as soon as is practical.
“A lot of local people have worked long and hard for this new road,” Mr Tobin said.
“Great credit is due to the perseverance of the Parents Council. The new road will be a decided addition to the town and will eliminate most, if not all, of the existing traffic problems in New Street.
“For myself personally it will be fulfilling one of the major commitments of my re-election campaign in 2004,” he added.
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