Environmental Impact Study

Potential impacts of construction activities include:

• nuisance caused by noise, vibration, mud and dust
• disruption to road users due to temporary road closures, other road works and construction traffic
• temporary loss of land and potentially permanent loss of habitat due to the presence of construction compounds and emissions from construction activities (the impact of the permanent loss of land due to the footprint of the scheme is considered in the pervious sections).

Occupiers of properties, landowners and habitats in close proximity to the proposed route are likely to be the most affected by construction activities. While it is estimated that the construction of the proposed scheme will take about four years to complete, at individual locations construction activities should be of a much shorter duration.

While it is inevitable that the construction of the proposed scheme will have varying degrees of impact on the local environment, Limerick County Council intend to minimise these effects by:

• Setting and implementing standards relating to working hours, use of explosives, discharges to watercourses and the control of dust and emissions especially during the execution of the works
• Ensuring the Construction Contractor locates construction compounds with due regard to the proximity of residential properties and other sensitive receptors and habitats and their visual intrusion on the landscape
• Ensuring proper maintenance of roads and footpaths during the construction period
• Limiting the use of existing roads by construction traffic
• Limiting the number and duration of road closures
• Reinstatement/replanting of landscape and habitats disrupted by construction activities