Another meeting to discuss Kilkennys Central Access Scheme is to take place this Saturday at 11am.
At today’s emergency meeting, the decision was made as due to council procedures, councillors must have 3 days notice and a public notice issued, therefore no official decisions can be made at today’s gathering.
On Saturday they’ll discuss the original motion to review the scheme put forward by Malcolm Noonan and Kathleen Funchion.
Works on the new bridge will continue in the meantime as Kilkennys Acting County Manager John Mulholland says the costs of delaying it is 13 thousand 500 euro a day.
He also told the meeting that 2.5 million euro has been spent since the 1970’s on the design, planning and preparation of the Central Access Scheme.
He says if the bridge work was to stop, all that money would be lost as contractors would be owed compensation and there would be series repercussions for the council.
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Officials of Kilkenny County Council say no decision on the Central Access Scheme will be made at today’s Emergency meeting.
It got underway at 3 o clock with up to 30 people crammed into the public gallery at the council’s offices.
The meeting was called at yesterday’s council meeting after talk of a new proposal for the roadway which includes avoiding Vicar Street.
The council says procedures for meetings dictate that councillors must have 3 days notice and a public notice issued, therefore no decisions can be made today.
Acting Council CEO John Mulholland has been telling the meeting that the Central Access Scheme is being broken into three phases, phase one was the new bridge on its own, phase two was the road from the Castlecomer road, through the mart to the top of Wolfe Tone Street.
He says by the time the bridge is built, phase two will be built and the new bridge wouldn’t open till then.
With the Northern ring road extension, he says after being granted permission for it last week, the council will now do compulsory purchase orders for land in the area so it can go ahead, that will be discussed at Septembers council meeting.
