N22 Cork-Kerry road ‘being neglected’ 

THE N22 Cork to Kerry road is being neglected according to Fianna Fáil councillor Gobnait Moynihan.

In the county council roads report, it was revealed that €40,000 was to be spent on road safety inspection (RSI) “minor works” during 2020, which Ms Moynihan said is not enough.

“I see the report and in it, it is clear how much money is available for the N22,” she said.

“There is very little funding available for the maintenance. I am not talking about the bypass, I am talking about the road that is there right now.

“It is appalling, it is in some state, it is an embarrassment.“

Ms Moynihan said that Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is responsible for the road, and that they need to fund the council so they can maintain the road properly.

“The council are scrimping potholes or filling sections as much as they can. I am not blaming the council — they not getting enough funding from TII to fill the road — I am asking for more funding from TII so the council can at least do a better job.”

The long-awaited Macroom Bypass is a €280m project to build the N22 dual carriageway that will bypass Macroom and Ballyvourney, greatly improving the travel times and safety of the Cork to Kerry route.

The main design and build contract was signed by Jons Civil Engineering Ltd and John Cradock Ltd in 2019. The project is expected to take three and a half years from 2020.