Individual greenway routes in Kildare should be linked together

A long term plan to link the greenways in County Kildare is on the cards.

A grant has been approved for assessing the viability of  a greenway along a stretch of the Grand Canal at Corbally.

Now Cllr Evie Sammon said the routes between Newbridge and Pollardstown Fen and on to Milltown, Robertstown, Soldiers Island (where the main line of the canal splits into the Naas branch) the Canal Harbour in Naas, Corbally and back to Newbridge, should be linked up.

This, she told a Kildare County Council meeting, would create a 50 kms loop.

“We’re just  missing the last piece of the jigsaw.”

KCC official Celina Barrett said that while this is achievable, it is a medium to long term plan.

And she added the priority will be to complete the individual projects that are being worked on.

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Ms Barrett said this  would require the funding support of a number of significant stakeholders such as the National Transport Authority, Transport Infrastructure Ireland and Waterways Ireland, and perhaps a feasibility study could be explored “in the first instance”

A lot of the route can currently be traversed and requires upgrading to greenway standard. The Sallins to Robertstown route is  at detailed design stage and the Sallins to Naas section is at public consultation.  Naas to Corbally Harbour and on to the River Liffey is the subject of a feasibility study being carried out by KCC and the Newbridge project is currently at consultation stage and links from Newbridge to Corbally and Newbridge to the Milltown Feeder have been proposed as part of that report.