Tullamore to Kilbeggan link road ignored again for 2025

The proposed Tullamore to Kilbeggan link road project has received no funding for the fourth successive year.

The road project was not listed among road projects nationwide to be funded by a €633 million allocation for 2025 announced today by the Department of Transport.

In Offaly, some €1,908,437 has been allocated but solely on maintenance and repair work on the national network including at Derrinlough and Doon.

Work on the N62 near the former briquette factory has been allocated €475,000 and €400,000 will go to improvement works on the same road near Doon.

The omission of the N52 upgrade between Tullamore and Kilbeggan will come as a huge blow to campaigners, particularly in the Durrow area.

There had been hopes that the change in Government would result in a reprioritising of the project, on foot of significant local political and community pressure.

In a statement today, Fine Gael Offaly TD John Clendennen said whilst he welcomed funding for repair work, he remained committed to "advance strategic projects such as the N52 link road from Tullamore to Kilbeggan, enhancing accessibility across the Midlands".

He said the €633m funding allocation aligned with the priorities of the National Development Plan 2021-2030 (NDP),.

A review of the NDP is forthcoming, and Deputy Clendennen emphasised his dedication to ensuring that Offaly's strategic routes, including the N52 and N62, receive the necessary investment in the revised plan.

Plans for the upgraded road between Tullamore and Kilbeggan have stretched back over ten years.

The preferred route for the new link road was published in May 2023, but further preparatory work effectively ceased on the project, when the funding dried up.

The preferred route for the new N52 link road from Kilbeggan to Tullamore would cost €77.2m to complete. The proposal is for an 8.1km route, which incorporate some 3.3km of the existing stretch.