Fine Gael TD for Kildare South Martin Heydon has today (Friday) confirmed that he has written to Kildare County Council to seek clarity on their proposed timelines for progression and completion of the Southern Distributor Route around Athy. This follows confirmation of funding for the project from the Department of Public Enterprise in conjunction with the Department of Transport in May of this year.

“The Department of Transport has confirmed to me that they have advised Kildare County Council to proceed with the planning and design process and that all approvals required from the Department have been given to Kildare County Council and they are not aware of any obstacles in the way of progress.

“On the basis of this advice I have now written to the County Manager and the Roads Department to seek a clear outline of the timelines that have been put in place by them for the completion of this new road.

“An amount of €200,000 has been allocated to the Council for 2014 which is the maximum amount that the Council indicated to the Department it would spend on the project this year. A further commitment is in place for funding to bring this project through An Bord Pleanala and to construction.

“Now that the commitment for funding has been secured I want to ensure that work happens quickly to have the road in place and operational as soon as possible to relieve traffic chaos through the town of Athy. The onus is now on Kildare County Council to progress the design stage as quickly as possible.