CLOSE to €1m has been allocated for the progression of six greenway routes across Co Clare.
A total of €970,000 has been allocated by the Department of Transport for investment in greenways in the county.
2025 remains the target for the opening of the West Clare Greenway with the fresh set of funding aiding this. Half a million has been set aside for the 20km section between Kilrush and Kilkee, €200,000 has been announced for the Ennis to Ennistymon phase with €50,000 each for the Ennistymon to Miltown Malbay section and the Miltown Malbay to Moyasta route.
Shannon’s much sought after connection to Bunratty is one step closer with €100,000 allocated to connect the town with Bunratty and onto Limerick.
€70,000 has been granted for the greenway which links Limerick to O’Briensbridge and Scariff.
Referencing her time as a county councillor when she brought local authority officials and fellow elected representatives to cycle the Waterford Greenway, Senator Roisin Garvey (GP) highlighted that the funding was a step in the right direction for the arrival of Greenways to Clare.
She said of the funding, “Some of it will be for construction because we have moved past design stage and the rest of it will be getting consultants to look at the designs and meet the landowners. This is a great step in the right direction, it is a long time coming but if you keep asking you get it in the end.
“I can’t wait until we can finally cycle around our beautiful county and do so safely, safe for our children, older people, people with disabilities and tourists. I will make sure the Greenways are connected to the villages and towns and the schools, we’ve seen it done in the past,” the Inagh woman added.
Clare TD, Cathal Crowe (FF) was confident the entire county would benefit. “Anybody who has used a greenway in any part of the country has seen first-hand just how beneficial they are to the health, wellness and moreover the economy of the localities they traverse. Clare is a county ideally suited to these facilities, as a rural and scenic county, and it’s very encouraging to see a good spread of these route plans across the West and East of the county, so that we are not falling into the trap of focusing on one area which would end up suffering as a result of overuse”.
Crowe added, “It’s also important to note that while these projects have been given a significant boost due to this funding, they won’t immediately won’t see the light of day but it allows them to progress at greater speed through the stages of design, procurement and so on. I look forward to taking my own family for a spin or a walk on each and every one of these six greenways once they are up and running”.
