Kerry County Council has confirmed that the estimated cost of the South Kerry Greenway project is now €72 million.
The local authority and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) are currently working on the 27km greenway from Glenbeigh to Cahersiveen.
In November 2020, An Bord Pleanála approved the project, along with an accompanying compulsory purchase order for the required lands.
A Kerry County Council spokesman said Agriland: “Land acquisitions continue with some cases having to resort to arbitration – with payments agreed independently.”
“Just under half of the cases have been completed at this stage,” they added.
South Kerry Greenway
An oral hearing at the South Kerry Greenway in 2019 was told that the estimated cost of the project would be around €20 million.
Kerry County Council has identified several factors that have now contributed to the significant increase in estimate, including Land acquisition Costs under CPO.
The local authority pointed to “high construction costs, which continue to rise in light of the current geopolitical environment,” in addition to specialized rehabilitation work on historical buildings.
“Very difficult terrain” and mitigation works arising from the environmental impact assessment were also cited as reasons for the cost increase.
South Kerry Greenway. Source: Kerry County Council
Kerry County Council said its ambition is for the South Kerry Greenway, which was first introduced in 2011, to be fully open by the end of the decade.
A 3km route between Kells Station and Golden opened before Christmas, while an additional 4km route on the Glenbeigh route will open on Thursday (April 2).
The completion of this newest section means that 7km or a quarter of the entire greenway will be available for public use from this weekend.
A further 2km section towards Mountain Stage will open in the coming months, with plans to open a 7km section by summer 2027, the council said.
opening
Kerry County Council’s catwalker, Michael Foley, welcomed the latest developments on the road.
“The feedback from those who visited the 3km section in Kells which opened in December has been incredibly positive and very encouraging.
“I want to thank local landowners for their cooperation and support as well as our partners at the Department for Transport and Transport Infrastructure Ireland,” he said.
Kerry County Council chief executive Fergal Reidy recently described the South Kerry Greenway as the equivalent of a new factory for Cahersiveen.
Based on PWC data, he said up to 542 jobs could be created with an annual economic impact of up to €38 million for the local economy.
The greenway is also estimated to attract between 232,000 and 428,000 visitors annually.
