Simon Harris hits out at council chief as road closure in Wicklow hometown extended for months
The Wicklow PeopleThe long-running saga of the Chapel Road upgrade in Greystones has reached a political boiling point this week.
Tánaiste Simon Harris has formally intervened, writing to Wicklow County Council chief executive Emer O’Gorman to demand the "immediate resumption" and "urgent completion" of works that have left local families facing "unacceptable" daily delays.
The intervention follows a bombshell announcement from Wicklow County Council confirming that the closure of Chapel Road has been extended once again. Originally slated for completion this month, the finish line has been pushed back to July 1, with the formal road closure notice now in effect until July 31.
What was envisioned over a decade ago in the 2013 Local Area Plan as a vital safety upgrade for students at St. Laurence’s National School has turned into a logistical nightmare for the north Wicklow community. While the first part of the project, stretching from the Convent Road Roundabout to Eastmount, was successfully reopened in January, the remaining stretch toward Blacklion Manor remains a construction site.
The council has attributed this latest setback to "critical diversions by utility providers”. These works involve a series of complex, deep-level excavations, some reaching depths of 5.5 metres, to install new foul sewers, watermains, and more than seven kilometres of service ducting.
Officials maintain that the narrow width of Chapel Road makes it physically impossible to facilitate through-traffic while heavy machinery and deep trenching are operating locally.
In a letter sent to Ms O’Gorman on Monday, Tánaiste Simon Harris echoed the fury of his constituents. Highlighting the "huge delays and extended journeys" endured by families, the Wicklow TD insisted that the contract must be treated with the utmost urgency.
The timing is particularly pointed; just last week, the Tánaiste was in Greystones to launch the ‘Safe Routes to School’ initiative. During that event, he emphasised the necessity of making local infrastructure safer for children—a goal that remains side lined as long as Chapel Road stays behind barriers.
In his letter Minister Harris said the news that works will now bleed into the summer months has been met with dismay by residents and business owners. Community groups have pointed out that the detour routes are placing increased pressure on already congested arteries in Greystones and Delgany.
At a recent council meeting, local representatives described the state of the county’s roads as being in "crisis" following recent weather events like Storm Chandra.
Cllr Stephen Stokes and others have called for the council to hold contractors and utility providers to a stricter timeline, noting that the "temporary fixes" currently in place are failing to meet the needs of a rapidly growing population.
For now, the council’s position remains firm: the road must stay closed until at least July to ensure the safety of both workers and the public.
As the chief executive prepares her response, the people of Greystones are left navigating diversions, hoping that this latest deadline is, finally, the last one.