Is the Dunmore Road river walk in Waterford a possibility or a pipedream?
The river walk in Ardkeen is very popular with the Dunmore Road community. Photo: Libby Marchant
Dylan Wyse, Active Travel Communications and Behavioural Change Officer, for Waterford City and County Council ,told the Waterford News & Star that there are currently no plans to extend the riverwalk on the Dunmore Road.
He said: “We have a set number of projects every year and quite literally there’s no room to go outside of that.”
This is coming after Cllr. Jim D'Arcy celebrated the fact that the local development plan is being amended to include plans to extend the river walk on the Dunmore Road.
The current riverside walk stretches from Powerscourt to Glenville, with Cllr. D’Arcy advocating for an additional one-kilometre extension that would take the trail to Newtown and exit beside Waterpark National School.
The proposed extension would allow users to circumvent traffic on the Dunmore Road and service six schools with 3,200 students, according to Cllr. D’Arcy.
However, it is unclear what effect an amendment of the local development plan would have on the proposed extension.
Mr Wyse told the Waterford News & Star that those projects being prioritised for 2026 are the introduction of bike lanes in various parts of the city, such as from The Mall to Whitfield Hospital, on the inner ring road and on the Williamstown Road, as well as improving existing cycle tracks in some areas, such as John's Park.
The aim is to provide alternative ways of travelling around the city and to SETU, encouraging people to cycle instead of driving.
All of this, as well as the new pedestrian bridge, is funded by the National Transport Authority.
Until the bridge is completed, “I don’t think we’re going to see any new projects,” said Mr Wyse.
However, he said that the extension may be included in future plans.
He said: “If funding did become available in the future, if it was relevant and applicable to what we’re trying to achieve, then we would consider it.”
