Great Political Satisfaction on Opening of “Jimmy Doyle” Road

I am delighted that  the newly completed “Jimmy Doyle” road will open today, the 2^nd of April. This road will be of enormous benefit to the people of Thurles and the surrounding areas by providing a vital link from the Nenagh Road to the Templemore Road.

This road has been a priority of mine for a long number of years.

It has been a long and tedious journey. After all the trials and tribulations it gives me great political satisfaction that opening day has eventually arrived.

It brings me immeasurable pleasure to see this road open to use for the people of Thurles. After many years of effort this project has now come to fruition and will provide a vital infrastructural link that will benefit the area for countless years to come. The fact this road is named after one of our all-time greats, Mr.  Jimmy Doyle, is the icing on the cake.

During my time as Minister I flagged the need for this road and brought it to the attention of the relevant officials to ensure it was given priority status. Since that time I have been continually striving to ensure that this road project progressed and that funds were available at all necessary stages. While it has taken many years and we have had to overcome countless obstacles in bringing the road to a stage whereby it can be made available to the public, I am hugely confident that it will now alleviate a huge portion of the traffic congestion through the town and will also tackle the pedestrian safety issues highlighted by the Council in the early 1990’s.

Essentially this road will now serve to siphon off a large portion of traffic travelling through the town, thereby reducing delays for motorists. Traffic congestion has been a considerable problem in Thurles over the last number of this years and this road will go some way toward easing that problem.

I would like to commend and applaud all those who have worked tirelessly on this project over the years, particular Council officials and engineers for their proficiency and knowledge in advancing this project. Iarnród Éireann must also be commended for facilitating the fly over bridge.