Tralee bypass will cut traffic in congested town by 25%

A €97.3 MILLION bypass road, to be officially launched in Tralee today by Transport Minister Leo Varadkar, will result in an estimated 15% reduction in accidents as well as cutting traffic in the centre of the heavily congested town by a quarter.

The two-section project on the N22/N60 route will provide an 8km dual carriageway bypass of Tralee on the eastern side of the town with a 5.5km single carriageway link to the main Killarney and Cork road.

Kerry County Council said up to 150 jobs will be created during the construction phase.

The bypass will connect four of the five national routes that terminate in Tralee and radically improve the road transport corridor between the town and Killarney, 32km away.

Following the completion of oral hearings related to the planning process and the compulsory purchase of land by Kerry County Council from 78 landowners, the contract for the development was awarded to Kildare-based BAM Civil and the project is expected to be completed in 21 months.

National Roads Authority spokesman Seán O’Neill said. “It will provide alternative access for N22 traffic from Cork, full high-quality linkage between the N21, N22, N69 and N70 national routes and improved access to the N86.”

It is envisaged the scheme will deliver an average end-to-end reduction in journey times of 73% and result in a time saving of approximately 12 minutes at peak times.

The bypass is expected to attract up to 18,800 vehicles a day by 2026, the county council said..

The development will involve the provision of six principal structures at existing bridges, several culverts spanning minor streams and a total of 10 roundabouts.

A cycle path will be created along the full length of the dual carriageway with walkways provided on various structures and at all roundabouts.