Athy road closure prompts anger

THERE will be a lot of grumpy parents of schoolkids in western Athy, as well as local businesses, in early December with the closure of Leinster Street for four days, which will preclude all through traffic for those days.

The main street through Athy (the old N78) will be closed from Tuesday 3 December until Saturday 7 December, 24 hours a day from the CI Bar up to the lights at Winkles Newsagents.

This will be to facilitate a number of water connections for the Emily Square Public Realm improvements.

A ‘Notice of Intention’ was published in the local press last week by Kildare County Council indicating the “temporary closure” here on behalf of David Walsh Civil Engineering Ltd.

The only traffic that will be able to cross Crom-a-Boo Bridge during this period will be westbound only vehicles from the Carlow Road (R417) who can come down between the Museum and the Courthouse and turn left on the bridge.

Alternatively, any traffic coming in the Monasterevin Road will be only able to turn left, eastbound up Leinster Street towards the Station.

During this period, the only option for school runs for the four schools on the Monasterevin Road from the west side of town is north on Woodstock Road (R428), forking right along the canal just after Vincent’s.

They will then go out past Cuan Mhuire Rehab, before turning right across the Barrow at Declan Harris Transport, right at Bert Cross, and back into town past the water treatment plant – a round trip of nine kilometres.

The alternative is that the students in Athy College walk or cycle 1,500m from the junction of Woodstock and Duke Streets – or half that distance if in school in Ardscoil na Trionóide - for four whole days.

A local businessperson who didn’t want to be named voiced displeasure from the business sector.

“It’d not just me, there’s a few of us,” she said.

“You don’t realise the extent of it , and that is a bad week to close the road,” she said.

“That Tuesday is a double children’s allowance day, and do you think they’re going to park back at the Auld Shebeen and walk up? No, they’ll drive on to Portlaoise or Carlow where they can get parking.

“Also, 8 December is the biggest shopping day of the year if the works goes over.

“This is our busy season, and they’ve already taken the parking out of it (Emily Square).

“It’s just that week, but you’d feel it for the old people.

“The week before this, or the first week in January would be preferable.

“Everybody needs a fair bite of the cherry in December.

“The people who plan these things are not in business,” she concluded

“It’s not ideal,” said local cllr Aoife Brelsin. “But it is the best time of the year”.

“It’s only four days, and hopefully sooner,” she said.