Representatives of Kerry County Council say new safety measures will be put in place outside Fossa National School.
They met with the contractor Sorensen twice in the past week to discuss safety concerns.
Killarney Cathaoirleach, Councillor Maura Healy-Rae, raised the issue of the Golden Nugget to Gap Cross Safety Scheme at yesterday’s Killarney Municipal District meeting.
She warned that the stretch of the N72 is currently a construction site due to ongoing works along the route.
Cathaoirleach Healy-Rae said that the upgrade is bringing a lot of traffic and heavy goods vehicles to the road, causing school safety concerns.
She called for temporary crossings to be put in place and for temporary wardens to be appointed to help the children cross the road during two 20-minute pinch points at school drop-off and collection times, in the morning and afternoon.
Councillor Brendan Cronin welcomed the works but said that, at present, pupils are crossing the national primary road at three points along the construction site.
He said this is creating a ‘lethal’ environment for the children, with the potential for ‘serious injuries or worse’.
He commended the parents’ committee, the council engineers, and the contractor Sorensen’s engineers for their efforts but said an official crossing point and crossing warden are urgently needed.
Council representative Brian O’Connor said Sorensen’s traffic management designer will have new safety measures in place at the start of next week.
Mr O’Connor added that it is a difficult project and that there will be further traffic disruptions over the next few months, with construction works running until mid-2025.
However, he said they hope to mitigate this by carrying out much of the work directly in front of the school while the pupils are on their Easter holidays.
