A €2 MILLION project to realign the roadway at Old Court, near Skibbereen, is nearly completion.

Local authority engineer, Liam Ahern told members of the Western Division that there is likely to be ‘a bit of a run over to 2026’ but that the works are substantially complete.

He said the contractor, McGinty & O’Shea, started construction in May, and the project was funded by the Department of Transport.

Cllr Joe Carroll (FF) said the project is being finished to a very high standard, but he asked for an update regarding an old bridge, on a small access road located in the middle of the development.

‘We were told that the bridge was going to be replaced, but just recently we were told it wasn’t,’ he stated.

‘A key project for next year,’ is how Mr Ahern described the proposed realignment of the Ilen Bridge in Skibbereen.

With an initial €500,000 in funding provided by the department in 2025 for the proposed realignment, the engineer said their target is to tender the main works in the first quarter of 2026.

This will be contingent on receiving formal approval by the Office of Public Works and the department, as well as continued funding.

Meanwhile, plans for the realignment of the R572 road at Adrigole is progressing, according to Mr Ahern.

He told councillors that documentation and environmental reporting are being prepared. He also confirmed that the scope of the preliminary design has been increased to consider the realignment of the western approach.

The engineer said that an application for the widening of Adrigole Bridge has been recommended for approval and is with the Office of Public Works, but a second application is required for the inclusion of the western approach.

Mr Ahern estimated that the documentation and reports required for the Part 8 planning process will be finalised before in the second or third quarter of 2026, but he said the proposals is conditional on OPW and departmental approval.

The engineer said funding from the department of transport will be sought to develop the scheme through the Part 8 planning process, as well as the compulsory purchase of land, where required, plus the detailed design of the project.

Cllr Danny Collins (Ind Ire) suggested that as soon as the work on Adrigole Bridge has been finalised it should be renamed in honour of their colleague, the late Cllr Patrick Gerard Murphy.