THE night-time closure of the bypass in Clonakilty for wastewater infrastructure works will put extra pressure on the village of Shannonvale, according to Social Democrat Cllr Isobel Towse.
The Clonakilty bypass is closed from 7pm to 7am from Monday March 3rd until Friday May 23rd to allow contractor Ward and Burke Construction Ltd to deliver a wastewater project on behalf of Uisce Éireann and Cork County Council.
As a result, traffic will, for the duration, be diverted through the village of Shannonvale, which was already acting as a bypass for motorists in the know who seek to avoid the town centre.
An unintended consequence of the night-time closure could be that it would cause traffic confusion during the Clonakilty Park Hotel West Cork Rally, according to local Cllr Daniel Sexton (Ind Ire). Cllr Sexton asked Nicola Radley, the municipal district manager for West Cork, if she would ask Ward and Burke Construction Ltd to leave the bypass open on Thursday night.
He acknowledged that the bypass is not closed on Friday, Saturday or Sunday night, but suggested the extra night would help with the smooth running of the rally which is of enormous economic benefit to the region.
Cllr Towse said the people living in Shannonvale have a lot of issues they want to see improved. She suggested the through-put of traffic is always busy but with the bypass closure it is going to be extra busy.
She called on Council officials to expedite traffic calming measures and Cllr Sexton concurred saying that Shannonvale deserves some infrastructural development because it has been a bypass for Clonakilty for years.
