Interim traffic lights sought for this Kildare bridge
A representative for Kildare County Council said that everyone who crosses the bridge feels a sense of ‘cautiousness’
A set of interim traffic lights has been sought for one bridge located in County Kildare.
The request was heard at the latest Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District (MD) meeting, which took place on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
During the early stages of this meeting, Fine Gael councillor Peggy O’Dwyer motioned for Kildare County Council (KCC) to consider installing the interim set of traffic lights on the Morristown Bridge in Newbridge.
According to Cllr Peggy O’Dwyer, she said that these lights could act ‘as an interim measure until the bridge receives a major upgrade’.
Her motion was seconded by her party colleague, Cllr Tracey O’Dwyer.
In response to Cllr Peggy O’Dwyer’s motion, KCC had this to say: “The provision of any new signal-controlled shuttle systems at bridges in the County either temporary or permanent is not recommended.
“These one-way shuttle systems are difficult to control, maintain and are expensive to install.
“The provision of an unsuitable interim measure would further delay the delivery of a properly designed permanent solution at Morristown Bridge for two-way traffic with dedicated pedestrian facilities.”
KCC added: “It should be noted that the shuttle system at Sex’s Bridge was originally installed as an interim measure.”
‘CATCH-22’
Speaking further on the matter, a representative for KCC told Cllr Peggy O’Dwyer: “There is [an element of] cautiousness with everyone who crosses that bridge.”
They also said: “It is not an easy situation to fix.”
This prompted the Mayor of the MD, Fianna Fáil Suzanne Doyle, to summarise the dilemma: “It’s a Catch-22 [situation].”
Independent Cllr Tom McDonnell then spoke, and noted that the matter had previously been raised by both himself and his fellow councillors at past MD meetings.
Cllr McDonnell went on to express the following view: “The easy fix would be doing the approach [upgrade] works; it would relieve a serious amount of problems [on the bridge].”
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