Contractor appointed for €30m Tipperary road realignment project
Work on a multi-million euro roads project in north Tipperary is due to get underway in the coming weeks following the appointment of a contractor to carry out the works.
Tipperary County Council has appointed Wills Bros Ltd as the main contractor on the Latteragh Bends project, which aims to realign a dangerous road between Thurles and Nenagh.
The scheme involves the improvement of a 4.3km section of the existing R498 regional road between Nenagh and Thurles, at Latteragh, approximately 7km south-east of the M7 Nenagh Bypass.
Following the appointment, the contractor is now mobilising and setting up the site compound. Hedge cutting is scheduled to begin next week, to be followed by traffic management measures, according to Tipperary County Council.
The Latteragh Bends project, valued at €30 million, required the compulsory purchase of land from more than 30 local landowners to allow the scheme to proceed.
The Department of Transport have allocated €20million in funding towards the project, while a further €4million had been allocated to cover the design fees, consultants and landowner compensation.
Speaking during the summer, north Tipperary TD Michael Lowry said that the scheme is vital to ensure that the busy road is made safer for all road users.
"I am delighted with this project because the Latteragh road is a major piece of vital infrastructure which will be dramatically improved after this investment,” the north Tipperary TD said.
At the September meeting of the Thurles Municipal District, councillors were told that the full project would be complete within two years.