Major update for The Southeast greenway – FEBRUARY 18th 2020

December 2021 work is set to be completed at a cost of 13.5million with funds coming in the form of €8M from the department of tourism & sport and 5.5million from the local authorities Waterford, Wexford and Kilkenny New Ross is set to get one of the key attractions in the route with the 650m Tunnel at Mount Elliott due to feature a unique experience with animation, augmented reality, audio lighting and security. While the Rosbercon to Mount Elliot section of the route is set to become a very attractive alternative route with new lighting that will run along Cherry’s Road offering a shorter (loop) section that will suitable for walkers at all hours of the day and night. Storyboard and information panels are due to be erected along the route, highlighting the history and folklore of the railway route. The 24km route stretches from Mount Elliott to Ferrybank at Abbey Road will have varying surface quality and widths due to the expected volume and intended usage for urban sections it will be 5 metres wide (Ferrybank, Abbeylands, Mount Elliott and The Red Bridge) where they will be catering for large volumes and will be 3 metres wide in rural areas. – Sean Breen of Malachy Walsh & Partners The New Ross section of the Southeast Greenway will link in with the Rosslare to Waterford Greenway fully making use of another unique feature in the area The Barrow Bridge.

– FEBRUARY 4th 2020 update

Progress continues on the new South East Greenway way….work commenced at the turn of the year clearing the vegetation at (Rosbercon Entrance) to the greenway where crews will then begin landscaping the area The Rosslare to Waterford hits a hitch in JANUARY 2020 UPDATE Beginning at Rosslare Europort, the proposed route would travel adjacent to the Dublin to Rosslare Europort railway line for 6.2km before reaching Rosslare Strand. From there it would follow the existing railway line through Bridgetown, Wellingtonbridge and Campile for 48kms and connect with the New Ross to Waterford greenway. (*Plans for a greenway from Rosslare to Waterford may have to be revised after local councillors questioned the design of the proposed project.) Wexford County Council has commissioned Roughan & O’Donovan Consulting Engineers to explore the possibility of developing the existing rail corridor between Rosslare and Waterford City to provide a high quality Greenway. The proposed Greenway will provide:

• 57.5km of dedicated greenway facility
• A highly significant tourism and recreational amenity
• Opportunities for rural regeneration of the following towns and villages (Rosslare Harbour, Rosslare Strand, Killinick, Mayglass, Bridgetown, Baldwinstown, Wellington Bridge, Ballycullane and Campile).

This project, in conjunction with the proposed Southeast Greenway (New Ross to Waterford), will provide 82km of dedicated walking and cycling facilities in the South East of Ireland. The Southeast Greenway DECEMBER 2019 UPDATE The clearing of vegetation on our region’s most eagerly anticipated greenway is finally underway! Construction crews started work on the initial phase of the Southeast Greenway project that will link New Ross to the Waterford Greenway. When complete, it will create 24 continuous kilometers for walking, riding bikes, pushing a stroller or using a wheelchair. The Greenway which will run along the former railway line between Mount Elliott and Waterford, crossing the River Barrow via the Red Bridge and passing through picturesque Kilkenny, before Ferrybank, Waterford. From there it will link to the Waterford Greenway via the proposed North Quays and Bilberry Greenway Projects, in total the initial stage of the Southeast Greenway will create nearly 80km of regional Greenway spanning from New Ross to Dungarvan. The re-opening of the Galley River Cruiser restaurant in 2020 and a new River Taxi service scheduled to provide users with a unique experience for their return journey, the town looks in good shape for the Southeast Greenway.     JUNE 2019 UPDATE The ambitious project by Wexford County Council aims to attract more tourism to New Ross….. Wexford County Council are seeking to develop a 24km Greenway from New Ross to Ferrybank and at lunchtime on Friday it was given the green light. The recreational amenity & tourism project which will ultimately form part of the planned National Greenway network link and connect Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny and Carlow to Dublin & beyond. It will attract both domestic & international visitors to the area & will act as an economic driver for the region.

Proposed Route New Ross Greenway

Project work involved:

• The clearance of vegetation on the rail line corridor, retaining boundary hedgerows and boundary vegetation
• The lifting of the old rails. The laying of a 3 meter wide bituminous surface on a crushed stone base to form the cycle and footpath track
• Repair and upgrade of existing drains
• The marking of the aforementioned cycle and footpaths
• The upgrade and repair of existing bridges so as to accommodate the cycle /pedestrian route
• The installation of barriers for the safety of Greenway users
• Stock proof fencing
• Provision of agricultural crossings Security fencing Screen fencing Screen planting

Project Timeline Past, Present & Future

• Q4 2018 – Preliminary Design
• Q4 2018 – Procurement Stage
• Q1 2019 – Detailed Design
• Q3 2019 – €8Million Funding granted
• Q4 2019 – Tendering Stage
• Q2 2020 – Construction Starts

Greenways are being developed all over Ireland right now…Which started with a dream to covert an abandoned Mayo railway track into a tourist amenity has become one of the most innovative developments in Irish tourism over the last 10 years, it has provided a perfect solution to stimulate job growth in remote areas and encouraging more sustainable travel. Most remarkably of all, are that Greenway concept has existed in Western Europe since becoming popular in the late 1980s and 1990s…but it wasn’t until the Great Western Greenway in Mayo in 2011 that Ireland eventually adopted the idea and dedicated a green corridor to tourism. The motivation for greenways is linked to promoting active life-styles, health and nature conservation.

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“There can be no doubt that the Great Western Greenway has helped create many jobs and brought significant amounts of money into Mayo. It has also provided us with a fantastic recreational resource and local people all along the route and from further afield in Mayo are using it in significant numbers. I’ve no doubt that it is having an extremely positive impact on people’s physical and mental health. –  Minister Michael Ring

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In Waterford the Dungarvan Greenway has seen a significant increase in visitors and locals enjoying the  greenway since it’s completion in June 2017 “It has changed a little dying village forever, it has. All the pubs are doing coffees and snacks. It’s unbelievable,” says a spokesman for Waterford Greenway Bike Hire

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“The popularity of the Dungarvan to Waterford Greenway, proves how invaluable the walkways can be.” – Wexford County Council CEO Tom Enright.

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Malachy Walsh and Partners who acted as lead consultant on the award winning Páirc Uí Chaoimh have been commissioned to bring the new greenway to life. The views from the Redbridge (Victorian bridge) and the 300 meter tunnel are nothing short of spectacular and there will be plenty of refreshment stops en route for those looking to make a day of it.

• It planned to make this a shared Greenway, which means that people are allowed to cycle, walk and run, you can even bring your dog, as long as he/she is on a lead.

Wexford County Councillor and proud Rosbercon native Anthony Connick who has been an integral part of delivering this project to New Ross stated with pride “The entrance to the Greenway will start in Rosbercon and is going to totally transform our town of New Ross”