Road is clear for work to begin on New Ross Bypass
HIGH COURT THROWS OUT CASE
Wednesday March 10 2010
THE LAST impediment to the New Ross Bypass has been removed this week after the project was 're-coupled' with the Enniscorthy Bypass.
County Manager Eddie Breen has confirmed that the National Roads Authority now intends to run the New Ross project back in tandem with the Enniscorthy bypass as it seeks private investors for the modernisation of Wexford's national routes.
The High Court threw out a case last week against the multi-million euro road project. An Bord Pleanala's approval of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the New Ross Bypass was the subject of a Judicial Review initiated by Dublin man Peter Sweetmen. However, the judge concluded that the grounds Mr. Sweetmen raised were 'insubstantial' and he refused leave for judicial review.
The New Ross Bypass had been 'decoupled' from the Enniscorthy bypass as the NRA did not wish to delay the Enniscorthy Bypass if New Ross one was delayed and decided to proceed with it on a standalone basis as a Public Private Partnership scheme.
There were serious fears voiced in recent weeks that the judicial review would hold up the entire bypass project for a number of years and the CPO approval may expire before the legal review of the Environmental Impact Statement approval is complete. However those fears are allayed now.
Last Monday's County Council meeting heard that the way has now been cleared for progress and plans for a crisis meeting with the NRA have been abandoned after news from the court meant there was no longer a crisis to discuss.
'We now have to wait on the Public Private Partnership. The project will be advertised in the coming weeks. It is a design build project, the people who win the contract will design and build the road, it is a fairly detail project and should be running fairly quickly now,' said Deputy Sean Connick.
It is hoped construction will commence during 2012, and it will be 2014 before traffic is travelling on the new motorways.
