N24 Beary’s Cross Road Improvement Scheme officially opened

The completed N24 Beary’s Cross Road Improvement Scheme has been officially opened by Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Councillor Francis Foley. Picture: Keith Wiseman

The completed N24 Beary’s Cross Road Improvement Scheme has been officially opened by Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Councillor Francis Foley

A Limerick road junction where there were almost thirty collisions over 15 years has undergone a €6.5 million transformation to address road safety concerns.

The completed N24 Beary’s Cross Road Improvement Scheme has been officially opened by Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Councillor Francis Foley.

The scheme addresses deficiencies identified with the original junction between the N24 Tipperary Road and R513 to Caherconlish. Records from the RSA and TII outlined that two fatal collisions occurred in the vicinity between 2005 and 2014. Twenty-seven further collisions occurred between 2014 and 2020, three resulting in injuries and the remainder in material damage only.

The project represents a continuation of the collaboration between Limerick City and County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) in delivering significant capital infrastructure investments in the region. The project was funded by TII as part of Project Ireland 2040.

The new junction configuration consists of a roundabout located on the N24 approx. 150m southeast of the original junction along with the realignment of 400m of the R513 and creation of a Cul de Sac access to the existing properties located on the old R513.

A really positive occasion this morning where we marked the completion of works at Beary’s Cross on the N24. This is a project I’ve supported for many years and delighted to see this safety improvement scheme completed. pic.twitter.com/kg7NHziQFH— Patrick O'Donovan (@podonovan) June 14, 2023

Part VIII Planning Consent was granted for the scheme in November 2017 before the Compulsory Purchase Order was approved by An Bord Pleanála in 2021. The construction contract for the scheme was awarded in August 2022 to Sorensen Civil Engineering Ltd and construction commenced before the end of August.

The contract had a 12-month programme but was opened to traffic in March 2023 which represented a four-month improvement to the original construction programme. Limerick City and County Council would like to acknowledge the co-operation and help received from our local councillors, the affected landowners, the local community and all other stakeholders to ensure the successful delivery of this scheme.

The Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Cllr Francis Foley said, “This is a hugely important development and it again shows the importance of positive collaboration between State bodies and local communities to deliver results. I want to commend Sorensen for delivering this scheme ahead of schedule. Beary’s Cross is now safer for motorists though I would urge drivers not to become complacent and always drive with care.”

Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Jack Chambers TD attended the official opening, “This road improvement scheme is very welcome as it helps to address long standing concerns about road safety at Beary’s Cross. Two fatal crashes and 27 other collisions over 15 years is a very poor safety record. Road safety is a key priority of mine as Minister. Our Road Safety Strategy has a target of reducing road deaths and serious injuries by 50% by 2030. As well as finding ways to improve driver behaviour it is vital that we identify deficiencies in our road network and move to address them.”

Brian Kennedy, Director of Transportation and Mobility at Limerick City and County Council said, “Limerick City and County Council was delighted to work with TII to deliver this significant road safety scheme. Approximately twenty thousand vehicles travel through this junction each day. The previous junction layout was of concern from a safety and capacity perspective and a suitable intervention was required. There was also a problem with traffic flow with tailbacks often occurring on both the N24 and R513 at peak times. This has been addressed with the new roundabout and road layout. It is much safer and traffic flow has been greatly improved.”

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