Long traffic jams at the N11/M50 merge, dangerous queuing backing onto the N11 and the disastrous junction at Kilmacanogue are one step closer to being resolved after Fine Gael councillors urged the Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar to take action. Fred Barry the CEO of the National Roads Authority (NRA) has now committed to reengaging immediately with Wicklow County Council to implement measures to address the traffic chaos faced by Wicklow commuters on the N11.

The issues were raised by Wicklow Councillors Derek Mitchell and John Ryan who met Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar in Dail Eireann before Christmas along with TD’s Andrew Doyle and Simon Harris. Both councillors spoke at length with the Minister explaining the issues at play and the potential impact if the NRA continued to ignore the needs of North Wicklow.  In turn Minister Varadkar raised this when he met the head of the NRA where he encouraged him to take action to resolve the issue. In a follow up letter sent from the head of the National Roads Authority to the Minister, Fred Barry has reactivated the process to find solutions to all the known traffic issues from the Fassaroe Interchange to Kilmacanogue.  A number of studies including two reports have been carried out including, the M11/N11 Merging Study, March 2010, and the M11-N11 Traffic Management Measures – Killarney Road and Fassaroe Interchange Improvements. In the last 6 months Bray Town Council produced a review of the NRA’s 2010 proposals however until now the NRA and the local authority have not successfully engaged, however after the Ministers intervention the NRA has committed to reengage.

The NRA will commence the study work early in 2014.

Councillors Ryan and Mitchell said ‘we are pleased that Minister Varadkar has got some action within 2 weeks of our meeting with him’.