In the Dáil this week I raised the progress of the Kildare section of the Barrow Blueway with Minister Josepha Madigan. The Minister agreed that proceeding with the Kildare section of the project was the best option for Waterways Ireland. Waterways Ireland has undertaken an economic appraisal of the development of the towpath, which concluded ultimately that benefit to the local economy of the development would be €2.5 million per annum from tourism and recreational spend, with a payback period of less than five years. The project to enhance the Barrow towpath will create approximately 90 jobs during the construction phase and create an estimated 130 direct and indirect jobs in the tourism, recreational and hospitality sectors in the area.
