Limerick County Council has said it will revisit and review the Route Corridor Selection for the N21 Adare Bypass.

Changes in national infrastructural policy along with the recent announcement of the Emerging Preferred Route for the M20 Cork to Limerick Motorway Scheme have led to the revaluation of the original preferred route.

The current review, once completed, will result in an Emerging Preferred Route for Adare Bypass being published in May 2009.

Following completion of the relevant statutory procedures, it is anticipated that the construction of the Adare Bypass will commence as part of the overall M20 Cork to Limerick Motorway scheme.

As part of the review process, Limerick County Council will host a public consultation event.

The N21 Adare Bypass is a project of Limerick County Council, in consultation with the National Roads Authority (NRA), and managed by the Mid West National Road Design Office.

The bypass is expected to be approximately between six to eight kilometres in length, with a river crossing of the Maigue, and other structures such as overbridges, underbridges and junctions as required to integrate with the existing road network.

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Paul Crowe, Director of Services at Limerick County Council, said: "It has long been an objective of the council to bypass the town of Adare, removing through traffic from the town centre, improving journey times both locally and on the strategic National Road network, thereby promoting local and regional development."

In March 2005 following an extensive study, Limerick County Council announced the Preferred Route Corridor for the bypass, the Black Route Option to the north of the town of Adare.

Mr Crowe said in the years since the designation of the preferred route, changes in infrastructural policy have occurred in the development of the strategic National Road network.

"It is now essential the council revisits and reviews the Route Corridor Selection for the bypass in order to ensure that the most appropriate route option is taken forward to the statutory processes, and that the return on public investment is optimised."

Following the publication of Transport 21, the Western Corridor, linking the west coast with Waterford via the N24, was replaced by the Atlantic Road Corridor, linking the west coast to Waterford via the N20 and the N25.

The M20 Cork to Limerick Motorway scheme forms an integral part of the Atlantic Road Corridor, and is a priority scheme under Transport 21 and the National Development Plan.

In October 2008 the Emerging Preferred Route for the M20 Cork to Limerick Motorway Scheme was announced by Cork County Council.

"The provision of the associated M20 infrastructure in the vicinity of Adare has necessitated a review of the N21 Adare Bypass route corridor selection process," said Mr Crowe.

He added: "In light of these new developments, Limerick County Council, in conjunction with the National Roads Authority (NRA) is working with consultants Jacobs Engineering to examine and develop route corridor options for the bypass.

"A revised Constraints Study Area has been developed which extends further south and east of Adare than the 2004 Constraints Study Area."

(PR/JM)