LABOUR Party TD Conor Sheehan called on the government to urgently release €2.2million in funding to advance the next stage of improvement works to the Mackey Roundabout.
Speaking in the Dáil, Deputy Sheehan told Tánaiste Simon Harris that Limerick Chamber contacted Minister Darragh O’Brien about safety issues around the Mackey Roundabout and to formally request €2.2m in funding to advance the next stage of improvement works.
“This is a critical priority for the safety of people in the Mid West but also for our economic development. It is a key interchange in the east of the city, connecting the M7 motorway to the R445 Dublin road,” Deputy Sheehan told the Tánaiste.
“It is a primary gateway to Limerick into the University of Limerick and National Technological Park. There is a huge volume of traffic there and it frequently causes persistent backups right up the motorway. It is a car park at peak times.
“It is really quite dangerous and we are lucky someone has not been killed because when you are coming along the motorway, you literally come to a sudden stop with no warning,” he said.
Deputy Sheehan told Deputy Harris that the Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy identified the Mackey Roundabout as one of four key pinch points.
“While some work has been completed, the project cannot proceed to the next stage without the additional €2.2million. I hope the government will release that funding,” he said.
In response, the Tánaiste thanked Deputy Sheehan for his description of the issue in terms of not just the congestion, the traffic issues, and the environmental issues, but also the dangers in terms of cars coming to a sudden halt.
“On foot of the Deputy raising this issue, I will speak with the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, and ask that he examine how the government can assist and respond to the Deputy directly.”