A €31 million bypass of Kilkenny city which involves relocating a section of the Dublin-Waterford railway line, was approved by the Minister for Transport yesterday.
Mr Brennan made the announcement after visiting Kilkenny to inspect the section of the proposed road scheme which was the subject of a Railway Order public inquiry last April.
Mr Brennan said that approval for the Railway Order now cleared the way for the 4.2km ring road scheme, estimated to cost € 31 million, to proceed.
Kilkenny County Council and the National Roads Authority are to finalise contract documents and proceed to the full tendering stage inside the next three months, according to the Minister. Construction work on the scheme is due to start early in 2005.
The ring road is aimed at significantly reducing traffic congestion in the city centre, particularly at the junction of John's Street with the Dublin Road and the Castlecomer Road.
Traffic congestion is a serious problem in Kilkenny, and the Minister said he hoped the new road would "make a big impact on relieving that congestion as it will be used by at least 10,000 vehicles a day that at present have to go through the heart of the city".
The single-carriageway road will begin at the existing Carlow Road roundabout and run to a new roundabout north of Glendine on the Castlecomer Road.
It involves the construction of a new bridge over the Kilkenny-Dublin railway line and a 1,120-metre diversion of a section of the rail track.
Under the terms of the relevant legislation, the Minister directed that a public inquiry be held into the planning application.
Mr Dom Hegarty, chartered town planner and civil engineer, was appointed as inspector for the inquiry. Mr Hegarty's report recommended that the Railway Order be granted subject to the condition that the mitigation measures outlined in the Environmental Impact Statement be implemented.
Mr Brennan is also planning to visit Cork tomorrow morning where he is expected to announce the reopening of about five miles of railway line between Midleton and the existing Cork-Cobh line. In a shake-up of transport services around Cork city, he will also announce new bus services and the reopening of some rail stations on the Cork-Mallow line.
