Major safety works to begin at Tipperary school later this month
Work on a major Safe Routes to School scheme at a Tipperary national school is due to begin later this month.
Tipperary County Council has secured funding from the National Transport Authority (NTA) for a Safe Routes to School scheme at St Mary’s National School on Bailey Street in Killenaule.
The council has appointed Tony Kirwan Civil Engineering Contractors to lead the project, which is due to get underway on Monday, August 17.
As part of the project, new footpaths will be provided, while some of the existing footpaths will be widened to make it safer for children and parents to get to school.
New bus set downs will also be added on either side of Bailey Street, while pedestrian crossings will be upgraded, and improved road markings will be installed.
Road build-outs will also be added to slow the flow of traffic, drainage will be improved, new signage will be added, while new soft landscaping will be installed and some additional traffic calming measures will also be installed in order to make the area safer for vulnerable pedestrians.
The project is planned to take six to eight weeks to complete, and temporary traffic management will be in place for the duration of the works.
A joint statement from Tipperary County Council and the NTA said that while disruption will be experienced, it is hoped to keep this to a minimum.
“Works of this nature will cause some disruption to residents, businesses, schools, shoppers and through traffic, but it is the council’s and the contractor’s intention to minimise disruption as much as possible,” the statement said.
The scheme will lead to lower traffic speeds in the area, improved safety for vulnerable pedestrians, improved footpaths and crossing points, and it will improve the look of the area with new landscaping, documents show.
The area at the front of St Mary’s serves as the entrance to the two schools in Killenaule, with over 500 students using it on a daily basis, design documents show.
Labour Party councillor for the area Michael ‘Chicken’ Brennan said that he campaigned to get the project done this year.
“I have campaigned to get this into 2026 works funded by Active Travel after failing to commence in 2025 due to design issues,” he said.
“I would like to thank all at Tipperary County Council’s Active Travel team and Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District in helping make this project reach the works commencing stage,” he added.