It’s hoped the North Kerry accident blackspot, the Dale Road will fully reopen to traffic by the end of the year.
It’s expected to reopen for residents living along part of it before the end of this month. The Dale Road or Rathscannel Road is a popular route for tourists travelling to and from Ballybunion. Cathaoirleach of the MD, Fine Gael councillor Mike Kennelly says it’s expected to be open by Christmas.
The Dale Road has been closed since July 2019, and a major redevelopment of it has been underway since August last year. The route between Abbeydorney and Ballyduff is built on bog and has subsided, and has been the scene of many accidents.
Kerry County Council says 1.25km of the road will be surfaced before the end of this month. This will allow for the reopening of that section to residents along it, as well as people on the Derryvrin – Liscullane road to use it to access Abbeydorney and Tralee.
Excavation works on the remaining 750 metres of the stretch are underway and it’s hoped to complete these and surface this part before the end of the year. The council notes, however, this will be dependent on ground conditions and weather, adding this section is technically the most difficult of the project.
The target is to reopen the Dale Road fully during the last three months of the year; the council says until excavation works begin, it’s difficult to give a more precise time. The council was responding to a question from Cllr Aoife Thornton about progress on the works.
