Cork and Kerry in dispute over bypass

A row is developing between Cork and Kerry over the Macroom bypass.

Kerry councillors and senior officials stole a march on their Cork counterparts last week: they met with Transport Infrastructure Ireland officials in Dublin and claimed to have secured agreement on the key bypass. But they didn’t tell Cork about the meeting, despite what was to be a joint approach, it has been claimed.

The mayor of Kerry, Michael O’Shea, said that Kerry was “leading the way” in securing the Macroom N22 bypass, and they felt let down that Cork’s mayor had not joined with them.

The delegation from Kerry County Council said it was “absolutely amazed” at the commitment they received for the bypass and is confident work will begin by 2019.

Cllr O’Shea said €14m in preparatory work, including fencing, is starting shortly,

Their counterparts in Cork showed no enthusiasm for the meeting in Dublin and were “not interested”, he said. But the meeting has come as “a surprise” to officials in Cork, who were waiting to meet with Transport Minister Shane Ross and were planning to invite officials from Kerry to strengthen their case.

“It has come as a surprise to the mayor of Cork County Council, Cllr Seamus McGrath, and the chief executive, Tim Lucey, that Kerry County Council met with TII last week, regarding the N22 project, without having been notified by Kerry County Council that a such meeting was arranged,” the council in Cork said.

Far from not co-operating, Cork had understood there was to be a joint approach, the statement continued: “Both the county mayor and chief executive advised their Kerry counterparts, in 2016, that Cork County Council would co-operate with the arrangements for a joint delegation, particularly as there are three other major national roads schemes that are critical to the south-west region, to be progressed by TII.

“Cork County Council is awaiting a meeting with minister for transport, Shane Ross on national road projects, and will be more than happy to facilitate Kerry County Council representation on same, in order to strengthen the case for the early commencement of the N22.”