Four route options identified for €600m N24 between Waterford and Cahir

Around 4,500 property owners will be contacted about the works impacting their land 

Eileen McCarthy, director at Arup, outlined how some options will see the compulsory purchase of property and farmland in Co. Tipperary and Co. Kilkenny, unless the project opts for upgrading the current route through Carrick-on-Suir and Clonmel, which she accepted will cause "major disturbances" to people living there. Photo via n24waterford2cahir.ie

A major upgrade to the N24 connecting Waterford to Cahir in Tipperary has been narrowed down to four options.

The N24 Waterford to Cahir scheme is to be 60km in length, from Junction 10 on the M8, north of Cahir, to the southern terminal of the M9 motorway, in South Kilkenny.

It has a projected cost of €600m to €720m and will either see the existing road upgraded or the construction of a new route, of which three options have been outlined.

Around 4,500 property owners who may be impacted are being contacted regarding the works, with a preferred corridor expected to be chosen within a year. A similar upgrade is already underway on the route on the other side of Cahir connecting to Limerick.

It is not expected to begin construction until 2030, due to pre-planning surveying and discussions with landowners. The project is led by Kilkenny County Council in partnership with Tipperary County Council, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and the Department of Transport.

There is wiggle room for shifting the final route in case it affects certain properties which do not become subject to a compulsory purchase order (CPO). Photo via n24waterford2cahir.ie

The project is being managed by Tramore House Regional Design Office with firm Arup. A roadshow is taking place this week across Tipperary, Waterford and Kilkenny displaying the routes.

Plans for the road upgrade had stalled due to a lack of funding in the National Development Plan under Project Ireland 2040. However, funding was later allocated to allow route selection which includes surveys, traffic modelling and other assessments.

Senior engineer at Kilkenny County Council, Seamus Kavanagh, said there has been nervousness throughout the region over the road, as planning permission and other works could not progress without a final decision on a route.

"There's nervousness in the area because we're putting different corridors out there but people are engaging a lot with us," he said.

"Some people are going to be very relieved at the solution but others are more concerned, especially with the online solution [the existing route], they're wondering what it means for them.

"The biggest disruption will be if it's the online solution. If it's offline then it will mean much less disruption and the new route won't impact people to the same extent," he said.

Eileen McCarthy, director at Arup, outlined how some options will see the compulsory purchase of property and farmland in Co. Tipperary and Co. Kilkenny, unless the project opts for upgrading the current route through Carrick-on-Suir and Clonmel, which she accepted will cause "major disturbances" to people living there.

"We're talking about a very different scale of impact and scale of money to something that is brand new. You think of the land acquisition and cost of land if it's brand new," she said.

There is wiggle room for shifting the final route in case it affects certain properties which do not become subject to a compulsory purchase order (CPO). This is relevant for properties within 300m in rural areas and/or within 150m in urban areas.

"300m gives that scope as we're trying not to impact on constraints such as homes or other properties. But people do need to engage with us so we can take it all on board and see what can work," Ms McCarthy said.

Options for public transport including bike, bus and rail are also taken into consideration as part of the plan. You can view the plans online