Today marks another milestone in progress on Athy’s Southern Distributor Route as Kildare County Council marked the official start of works on site with a sod turning event according to Minister Martin Heydon.

“It was an honour to take part in the official sod turning event today with my colleague Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton representing the Department of Transport who have provided the €34m to see the road completed.

“This is a milestone event for the people of Athy who have waited many years to see substantial works on the Athy Distributor Road. Now that physical works are ongoing on the site, the road will start to become a reality very soon.

“This project has been a priority for me since I was first elected and I am proud that this Government and the previous one moved forward on the funding of this important investment to support Kildare County Council in bringing it to this stage.

My colleague, Cathaoirleach of Athy MD, Cllr Ivan Keatley said: “This vital new infrastructure will bring significant benefits to the town of Athy and I thank all the staff of Kildare County council both past and present who have worked to bring the project to this important point.

“This new road has the potential to transform Athy in conjunction with other state investments in recent years including the Barrow Blueway and I look forward to seeing the benefits it will bring to the town of Athy, its residents and businesses”, concluded Minister Heydon