New cathaoirleach of Tipperary district vows to push N24 upgrade
The new Cathaoirleach of the Tipperary-Cahir-Cashel Municipal District (MD) says that roads will form a key focus of her time at the helm.
Fine Gael councillor Marie Murphy was elected as chair of the district for the coming year after she was proposed by party colleagues Cllrs Declan Burgess and John Crosse.
Speaking to the Irish Independent after her election, Cllr Murphy said that focusing on the upgrade of the N24 road, which runs through the district, will be a key priority of hers.
“I was delighted to be elected unopposed to be Cathaoirleach of the Tipperary-Cahir-Cashel MD. My priorities are to try and ensure that we get better funding from central Government particularly with regards to roads.
“The N24 will hopefully go to An Coimisiún Pleanála by the end of this year, or early next year, and it is vital that the N24 is upgraded,” she said.
“We have to go for the whole N24, but the Cahir to Monard section is probably 18 months ahead of the Cahir to Waterford section, but it’s the whole road that has to be upgraded,” the Fine Gael councillor added.
Tipperary County Council is currently working to progress plans to realign the N24, with a bypass proposed for Tipperary town, which has long been the centre of traffic bottlenecks.
Earlier this year, €2.7million was given to the local authority to progress the next steps of the N24 Cahir to Limerick Junction project.
However, Cllr Murphy said that additional funding for this project is needed to ensure that it gets across the line.
Cllr Marie Murphy with Cllr Micheál Anglim, who will serve as Leas-Cathaoirleach. © Tipperary-Cahir-Cashel MD.
The Clogheen-native also said that communities will also be central to her time in the chair.
“I want to support all the local communities and thank the volunteers in those communities because without them, the likes of Tidy Towns, community centres, GAA clubs wouldn’t exist.
“Any support the council can give to those groups needs to happen in a timely manner - such as the Local Enhancement Programme to highlight the good that’s happening in our municipal district,” Cllr Murphy said.
The Fine Gael representative said that the area has some beautiful scenery, and this was something she was aiming to highlight.
“We’re blessed that we’ve got some fabulous scenery in the Tipperary-Cahir-Cashel MD with the Glen of Aherlow, and the scenic drive that is the Vee,” she said.
“To promote tourism is a big thing, we’ve got fabulous amenities,” she added.
Cllr Micheál Anglim will serve as Leas-Cathaoirleach for the coming year.