An Ardfinnan councillor expects the bridge in the village to be completed by 2023 with two way traffic returning and a separate pedestrian walkway.
Fianna Fáil Councillor Micheál Anglim told Tipp Today that tenders for the design consultants closed on Friday and he expects a consultant to be appointed before Christmas.
Members of Tipperary County Council also met with Ardfinnan Community Council last week and will meet them again in January.
Councillor Anglim hopes the design will be completed within 6 months and he outlined how funding should not be an issue.
“The cost to do with the consultants and the walkway bridge have been secured from Government, they have ya.
“It’s with the consultants, it could be cantilever, but I’d nearly be 90% sure that you’re talking about a standalone walkway bridge, because if you get into the business of a cantilever with Ardfinnan Bridge, you’re walking into trouble.”
He added that no one in Ardfinnan contested the pedestrian safety issue at the bridge and that two lanes of traffic back on the bridge would be the better option for the school, drivers and pedestrians.
