A BIG drive is under way to complete construction of the major motorway from north Tipperary to Limerick after the opening had to be delayed because part of the road collapsed into a bog.
A spokesman for the National Roads Authority (NRA) has said it has been reassured that the final section of the new motorway between Nenagh and Limerick will be finished by year-end.
The €425 million road will link the Limerick southern ring road with the existing Nenagh bypass. At present the completed motorway comes to a sudden end near Birdhill, Co Tipperary.
The construction of the 38km motorway section between Annacotty and Nenagh was contracted to Bóthar Hibernian almost four years ago and was due for completion and opening in May 2009.
However, the contractors hit serious difficulties at Anaholty bog, where the almost completed road collapsed earlier this year.
It is understood that tens of thousands of steel-reinforced concrete piles had been driven into the bog to support the road. But following the collapse, a concrete and steel bridge is to be built over the entire area to establish a stable base for the motorway.
Seán O’Neill of the NRA said the final section of the Limerick to Nenagh road would open by the end of the year. “We are being reassured by the contractor that the project will be completed by the end of the year, but this is a design-build contract so any of the costs incurred due to difficulties with the Anaholty bog are borne by the contractor,” he said.
“We are obviously disappointed [with the delay] as we would liked to have seen the public benefit sooner but obviously the contractor is dealing with a difficult situation,” he continued.
A spokesman for Limerick County Council said it was satisfied the contractor was dealing with the difficulties as best it could. The spokesman stressed, however, that the contractor had to address any difficulties arising during the construction.
“Under the terms of the ‘design-build-operate’ contract between Limerick County Council and Bóthar Hibernian any issues arising from the construction of the motorway are to be addressed by the contractor in question,” he said.