A proposed road improvement scheme in Mid Kerry is not expected to be completed before the end of 2023.
Members of the project team gave an update on the scheme during a webinar yesterday afternoon by Kerry County Council, which was attended by 115 people.
The scheme consists of a three-metre-wide shared cycleway and walkway, as well as an upgrade to the road surface, along a 2.6km stretch of the N72 between Killorglin and Anglont.
The design of the scheme is currently being proposed, while engagement with landowners along the route is ongoing.
During yesterday's webinar, Tracy Smith, Senior Executive Engineer with Kerry National Roads Office, and project manager for the scheme, outlined that public consultation and design will continue until the end of this year.
She said the project will most likely need permission from An Bórd Pleanála, and an application is expected to be submitted by the end of 2021.
Tracy Smith added a decision from An Bórd Pleanála can take between four and 14 months after the application is submitted, and it will take another nine to 12 months to get a contractor on site.
Liam Barry, engineering consultant and technical advisor to the project, said the construction itself will then take between 12 and 15 months.
Concerns were expressed by members of the public that the speed limit along the route will not be reduced before the end of construction, which would coincide with the next speed limit review in 2023.
Other questions from the public during the webinar involved an expansion of the scheme beyond the 2.6km stretch between the Laune Bridge and the RDI Hub.
Paul Curry, Senior Engineer with the Kerry National Roads Office, said the overall intention is to upgrade the entire N72 in this way, although that could take 10 or 15 years.
