This article is from page 6 of the 2014-03-18 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
THE main road to the Loop Head Peninsula, which was closed for almost six weeks following severe storms, reopened on Friday afternoon.
Clare County Council completed extensive works to rebuild and repair over 100 metres of the regional road and coastal wall along Kilbaha Bay.
The reopening of the road was welcomed by the Mayor of Clare, Councillor Joe Arkins, who said, “The temporary reconstruction works were necessary to re-establish connectivity in Kilbaha and the wider Loop Head Peninsula, and are a timely boost for the upcoming tourist season. Recent weeks have already seen the launch of the Wild Atlantic Way with a number of Discovery points along that route situated in the greater Loop Head area.”
Works undertaken by council staff include the positioning of over 3,000 tonnes of rock armour along the sea- front, 1,200 square meters of surfacing works, and the pouring of over 200 cubic metres of concrete.
Siobhan Garvey, Marketing and Development Officer for West Clare said, “There is no doubt that visitors planning a trip to Loop Head Lighthouse and the Bridges of Ross on the Loop Head Peninsula will appreciate the improved coastal protection works, car parking facilities and increased safety infrastructure that has now been put in place at these locations.”
“The improvement works completed today add to a number of tourism infrastructural projects that were completed at both these locations along with the West End in Kilkee late in 2013. The speed at which these works were completed and the continued investments made in the Loop Head area reflects the Council’s commitment to tourism and to continually building the tourism product in the rural parts of County Clare,” she added.