With some 3,000 heavy trucks and 6,000 cars competing each day to squeeze through streets less than 15 feet wide in places, Thomastown, Co Kilkenny, is clearly in dire need of the by-pass road which is now at the early stages of planning.
But a substantial number of people fear that the local authority may choose a route for the £5 million road project which could prove both environmentally and economically disastrous for the town.
They believe the route favoured by Kilkenny county councillors would involve massive earthworks across an environmentally-sensitive valley and flood-plain, and that it would divide the town from crucial parts of its natural hinterland.
Thomastown, situated amidst the beautiful scenery of the valley of the Nore, was a prosperous place throughout the Middle Ages. Its fortunes are now strongly linked with the major tourist and visitor attractions of Jerpoint Abbey and the Mount Juliet estate and golf course.
A number of possible routes for the by-pass have been mooted, but it is believed the selection will be narrowed down to two options. The one feared by a local action committee would stretch across the valley to the west of the town, dividing farms and crossing the remains of an ancient rural town settlement, Newtown Jerpoint, which flourished in the 12th century.
According to the committee there are 22 historically important sites between Jerpoint Abbey and Mount Juliet estate, and that a traversing of the river and valley within this area would be a contradiction of previous county council policy.
The committee also warns that it could interfere with the riverside habitat of a rare species of autumn crocus, which occurs at only three sites in Ireland.
Apart from the risks involved in constructing a major road across a shallow river valley that floods several times a year, it is claimed that this route would effectively cut off Mount Juliet from Thomastown.
Following several public meetings, 1,000 signatures have been gathered for a petition in favour of an earlier route option, which would follow the line of the railway, crossing the Nore at its narrowest point and passing behind Jerpoint Abbey.
This route, which was first suggested on county development maps 30 years ago, makes more sense and would cause less disruption, the campaigners say. It would allow retention of the river bank and its environs as a recreational green belt facility for the local population.
"The route along by the railway would cause least upset to the local population as regards the dividing of farms, transporting of animals within and between farms, and the general intercourse of the local communities," the submission argues. "This [route] would maintain this valley, its inhabitants, its history, its economy and its future in the best possible position to nurture and develop its future with sensitivity, wisdom and be a benefit to all."
With baseline environmental studies for the road route still at a preliminary stage, it may seem very early for such a strong preventive campaign to be mounted against one of the options. But the local protagonists fear a pre-emptive decision by the powers that be. They have watched previous "improvements" to their town's 13th-century lay-out in the interests of smoother traffic flow. At least two old mills have been flattened and an ancient stone bridge replaced.
"We're now seeking to preserve the area in as many aspects as possible," says local publican and committee member, Billy Carroll. "We want to maintain our heritage and the viability of the town."
As this major project inches towards fruition, the debate will intensify and will focus on whether centralised road planning can accommodate an effective voice and role in decision-making for local communities who will have to live with the long-term consequences.