A 24-hour protest at the site of the new bridge in Kilkenny city ended this morning after council staff and gardaí closed off the area.
Campaigners objecting to the controversial €3 million bridge section of the new Central Access Scheme road project in the city have been camped at the site close to Green’s Bridge since early July when construction started.
However, they received notice earlier this week that the council was going to encircle the construction site with fencing and protesters had moved much of their camping gear and equipment away by last night.
A number of council officials, staff and about 10 gardaí arrived at the site at 6am to allow completion of the fence.
"They obviously have no regard for our constitutional right to protest," Mark Stewart of the Save Kilkenny umbrella group said. "They have effectively removed that… The fence is encircling everything, including a public park as well."
However, he said protesters will continue their picked on footpath by the nearby street, about 10 metres from the original entrance to the construction site.
“This is just the start, we’re not going anywhere. We’re not going to be 24-7 at the bridge any more but we’ll be 12 hours a day. We’re going to be maintaining a more concerted campaign.”
Council director of services John McCormack said protesters had been asked several times to leave the area and when they refused were given official notice earlier that the site would be enclosed and the footpath put off-limits.
“We moved in at 6am this morning and impounded the material that was there,” he said. “At the moment it’s all systems go.”
He said Kilkenny County Council voted by 17 votes to five on Monday not to suspend construction work on the bridge.
“Democratically, it sends out a strong message to all and sundry that this is the will of the council and therefore the majority of the people of Kilkenny.”
Delays caused by the protest have so far cost the council over €420,000, which it will have to fund itself, Mr McCormack said, but they are hopeful the contractor will be able to make up the lost time and complete the bridge by the end of next year.