The new bridge in South Kilkenny could soon be “eating up” the council’s budget.
Since the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge has opened, the old New Ross road (formerly a section of the N25) is no longer classified as a primary national route.
As a result, it now falls under the responsibility of Kilkenny County Council, with all future maintenance works to be funded by them.
However, the stretch in question is almost five times wider than other regional roads.
The issue was raised at this week’s meeting of Piltown Municipal District.
Cllr Eamon Aylward says taking it in charge will have a huge impact on the local authority’s roads budget;
“The whole section of the old N25 from the bottom of Glenmore Hill – the junction of the new bridge- into New Ross, now automatically reverts to a regional road which falls under the control of Kilkenny County Council. It’s a big, wide road- about four or five times wider than any of our other regional roads” he told KCLR News. “The concern going forward is that if we have to maintain it with regard to surfacing etc, that it will eat up our full budget for regional roads just to deal with that one road.”
Cllr Aylward says narrowing the old section of the N25 is a viable option;
“We’ve been on to the TII (Transport Infrastructure Ireland) to come up with some solution, either from a funding point of view for maintenance of it, or perhaps to narrow it in or do something with it that will make it more manageable going forward from a budget point of view” he added.
