FINALLY! Slane Bypass Approved – Long Overdue Relief for Slane Residents and Meath Commuters are the thoughts of Cllr Toibín.

Decades of tireless campaigning, relentless advocacy and countless meetings have finally borne fruit with the granting of approval for the Slane Bypass. Aontú Cllr Emer Toibín says “This is incredibly welcome news. Slane is historic and beautiful, but it is a VILLAGE and was wholly unsuitable for the huge volumes of traffic going through it. It was a deadly dangerous situation and sadly, lives were lost and irreparably changed through accidents.

Anytime I canvassed the area I was inundated with concerns from residents, and it was really their number one concern. An estimated 17,000 vehicles trudge daily through the village via the N2 and N52, a staggering load for such a small, rural area. Anyone who has spent even a short time in Slane will know how deeply unsuitable and dangerous this situation has been.

This is not just a victory for Slane, it’s a huge development for Meath commuters, who according to the most recent census are the most hard-pressed in the country when it comes to journey times. Aontú has been fighting for the Navan Rail Line for years and years, so we are all too familiar with ‘commuter hell’.

This Slane bypass will bring significant reductions in both commuting times and fuel costs for thousands who rely on these key routes every day. This is a day to celebrate a long-awaited step forward for Slane and for Meath and the next step in the process can’t come fast enough.

Meanwhile Cllr Paddy Meade has taken to Facebook to voice his satisfaction that all the hard work has finally paid off. He pays thanks to all involved in the work taken to replace ”a bridge that has been used for hundreds of years” the only access to cross the Boyne over the years.

The day must also go to everyone who worked on the planning applications. He points out too that it was turned down in 2012. He said;  ”great credit must go to all the people who campaigned for the Slane Bypass and especially the officers and officials in Meath county council who worked on this application.”

Minister for State Thomas Byrne also welcomed the decision on social media this morning but stressing ”this decision  stands” and that the funding can be put in place to make sure the Bypass is built in accordance with planning conditions. ” It has been an incredible long story we had to wait so long, I’m glad that it has happened now”