Huge traffic plan kicks in as 180,000 travel for ploughing meet

THE Army will today erect a bailey bridge across the Grand Canal in Athy, Co Kildare, to facilitate pedestrian access to the site of the three-day National Ploughing Championships, which begin tomorrow.

The bridge will form part of a huge traffic plan by the gardaí to ensure that upwards of 180,000 people can travel to and from the rural showpiece with the minimum of delay.

More than 150 gardaí, backed up by a helicopter, the mounted unit and an onsite control centre, will implement the plan. Some 500 stewards from the National Ploughing Association (NPA) will also be on duty.