NAAS, 18 June 2001: by Trish Whelan. Residents of The Gallops estate on the Dublin Road in Naas have succeeded in their efforts to have a portion of a ring road re-routed away from their estate. The route will now be moved closer to the race course.
This was revealed during a presentation by a representative of the Roads & Design Dept of Kildare County Council at a recent meeting of Naas UDC.
The part of the road already constructed will now have to be dug up as it is not wide enough to be part of a major ringroad.
The planned ring road network will link the Dublin road, Tipper Road and the Blessington Road, to emerge close to the AIB facility.
Gary Madden, chairman of The Gallops Resident Association had voiced residents fears over the close proximity of the planned route to some houses in their estate.
Residents believed the road would act more as a bye pass around the town and that ‘a substantial amount of traffic including a large number of heavy goods vehicles, will pass very near to a number of houses’.
Increased noise and pollution from the anticipated high level of vehicles on the road, as well as a further erosion of privacy, were other concerns.
Mr Madden cited fears over road safety implications of the new road layout and access to and from The Gallops.
The road is a Kildare County Council project. However the Part X procedure must go through Naas UDC.
©2001trishwhelan/knn