Virginia bypass pushed back

Councillors have reacted angrily to news that delivery of the Virginia bypass project has been pushed back yet again.

The scheme will not now go to planning until the last quarter of 2027 at the earliest, Monday’s monthly meeting of Cavan County Council was told.

Virginia councillor T.P. O’Reilly (FG), who tabled a motion “looking for good news”, was under the impression the project was supposed to go to planning in early 2026.

Director of Services Paddy Connaughton delivered the unwanted update, that it will “most likely” be Q4 2027 before the project reaches planning.

He listed the reasons for the delay, among them “major” policy shifts, traffic schemes, public transport, Active Travel guidelines and also “new” assessment layers. He added that Covid-19 also had an “impact” on stakeholder engagement.

The council chamber was momentarily stunned, before Cathaoirleach John Paul Feeley (FF) asked: “Do you have an answer?”

“It could be over 24 months?” Cllr O’Reilly (FG) probed.

Mr Connaughton reminded that the council is following national policy.

Cllr O’Reilly (FG) fumed that the new date was “bananas” and pointed out the consultants have already been paid “big money” to get the project to planning.

He described this latest date as “completely unacceptable”.

“Why bother giving a date at all?” he raged, adding that the councillors sat in the chamber in 2024 and heard the project would progress to planning at the end of last year, and later told it would be Spring 2026.

“It has to be moved on,” he urged.

‘Shame on TII’

An irate Shane P. O’Reilly, who had earlier raised the dangers posed to motorists using tributary roads off the N3 as a “rat race” to avoid traffic, said he understood the Directors of Service was “only the messenger”.

“But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t kick him around the room,” quipped the Mullagh councillor, who further predicted it would be 2029 before the project goes to planning.

Referring to his earlier motion, the Independent Ireland representative reiterated there would be a tragic accident due to the speed on deteriorating local back roads, and remarked that “they [reps of TII] won’t be down standing in the graveyard.”

“Shame on TII,” he fumed, now shouting in the chamber and outlining how there is “far too much pandering” within the roads organisation.

Philip Brady (FF) looked ahead to when consultants would be on the ground conducting surveys. “Wait until they find snails and then that will be the big worry,” he remarked.

Meanwhile, Cllr O’Reilly (FG)also pointed out the council has not yet been informed of its roads allocation for 2026. He made the call to “suspend” works under the Active Travel funding stream until all roads are “brought up to standard”.

The Cathaoirleach, Cllr Feeley, described the update as “hugely frustrating” and criticised the amount of time the project is taking to progress.

He slammed ministers, including those in his own party, for being “too willing” to listen to officials and pressure groups, and “not willing” to listen to their own colleagues.

Winston Bennett (FG) said he and some other councillors and senators attended a meeting in Bruskey recently, where they “took an earful” from the 85 people who turned out.

“And rightly so,” he pointed out.

Clifford Kelly (FF) said all roads in Cavan are “deteriorating rapidly” and called on the government to “wake up and smell the roses”.

“We don’t need promises, we need roads,” he said.

Another angle, raised by Fine Gael’s Trevor Smith is the plight of families left “in limbo” living along the route, and who don’t know if they will need to move homes.

“We need to remember those families,” Cllr Smith said.

Project a ‘priority’

Chief Executive Eoin Doyle wished to acknowledge the “huge concern” held by elected members, and assured that the project is the “priority of this county” and therefore had the “total commitment” of council staff.

“We will give it every priority,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Connaughton told the councillors that Active Travel funding is “separate” and “should not” be considered as the cause of any “shortfall in funding”.

Earlier in the meeting, Cllr SP O’Reilly had brought a request from the Ballyjamesduff MD for a delegation seeking targeted funding from the Department of Transport for the roads adjacent to the N3 being used as “rat runs”. He asked the council request ministerial intervention to “avoid fatalities”.

“The situation has really reached crisis point,” he told the meeting, mentioning some areas affected; Crosskeys, Clifferna, Killinkere, Stradone, and Billis.

He also said that buses, HGVs and other traffic are using roads built for a “horse and cart”, and that the Knocktemple road was closed twice recently due to road traffic accidents.

“I don’t reckon we’ll have a bypass by 2040,” he predicted, adding that they are listening to “nonsense” from Dublin and the Department of Transport, while people living along these “rat runs” are “prisoners in their own home”.

‘Rat runs’

He referred to a recent speed survey where a motorist was clocked driving at a speed of 139km/h past Knocktemple NS, which is in a 60km zone, and suggested bringing officials from the Department to Cavan to show them why the funding is needed.

Cllr O’Reilly (II) though conceded the council locally has “done everything in their power” to alleviate the issue.

Cllrs Noel Connell (SF), T.P. O’Reilly (FG), Trevor Smith (FG), Philip Brady (FF), Áine Smith (FF) Carmel Brady (FG) and Winston Bennett (FG) supported the motion.

Cllr O’Reilly (FG) insisted the entire council “have to bang on the table and get this [the Virginia bypass] done” and added that they must come together and “ensure” the Department listens.

On the issue of “rat runs” Mr Connaughton said the council has met with An Garda Síochána, and there is an agreement that a speed van will be allocated for the area.

He said he would take their concerns to the Department of Transport and revert back in due course.