Does a bypass necessarily help a town?

In just over a year's time Kells will be adjusting to no-longer being located on the N3 and in the community hopes, in the words of Cllr Seamus Fitzpatrick: "It will give Belturbet back to the people, eliminating the traffic, particularly the truck traffic that for years has choked the town to death night, noon and morning, and which proved counter-productive for the advancement of services in the town." However there's conflicting reports emerging from the Kells experience. The town was bypassed in Summer 2010 and while the councillors will point to the lack of congestion, some businesses in the Meath town will point to a drop in turnover. When asked if there were any benefits the bypass had brought and that people in Belturbet could look forward to, Tim Clarke of Quick Pick newsagents in Kells responds: "There's been no benefit. Well, I suppose it's freed up the streets, traffic is easier, in fact you could walk across the street blindfolded if you wanted. But there's been no benefit to business." Meanwhile Virginia appear to have dodged a bullet when their bypass plans were shelved. With Kells bypassed, Virginia is the first town northwest-bound motorists enter on leaving Dublin. Eateries in particular seem to be enjoying a boost. Jimmy Murray of the Riverfront Hotel on Virgnia's main street told the Celt: "I definitely wouldn't want to see us bypassed, since this time last year we've picked up 30 or 40 per cent," he said. "Ourselves and the likes of Lisgrey House, the Lavey Inn and the Lakeside Manor would all be up, I think. A lot of people from Donegal and the North travel through and stop off. Before they might have had to go on the Monaghan bypass whereas now we're the last town before Dublin." To read a special report, by Seamus Enright and Paul Neilan, of life on and off the N3 for Beluturbet, Virginia and Kells, see this week's Celt.