Road funding available at Durrow, Minister says
Funding for road safety improvements at Durrow, on the N52, will be made available, a local Minister of State has said.
Minister Pippa Hackett said this week she had received confirmation from Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan that funding for road safety improvements at Durrow, on the N52, would be made available.
“I attended a public meeting in Durrow in December, where I heard many people from the community voice the concerns and fears of regarding the safety of the road junction onto the N52.”
“It was clear that people felt the junction was unsafe for many, including those travelling to and from school, the GAA pitch, and the community centre.”
“I committed at that meeting to liaise with my colleague, Minister Eamon Ryan and his officials within the Department of Transport.”
“Following my engagement with Minister Ryan, he has confirmed that funding is available for safety improvements at this junction. Subject to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) approving the detail of any proposal submitted by the County Council, procurement and construction can commence as quickly as possible.”
“I have written to the Director of Services at Offaly County Council to ask that this proposal is progressed and submitted to TII as soon as possible so work can commence, and the urgent safety issues of the Durrow community can be addressed.”
The recent public meeting also called for the urgent reinstatement of funding for the long-promised N52 link road between Tullamore and Kilbeggan, which has remained frozen for more than two years, and it's not clear whether road safety improvements at the junction in Durrow represent an interim measure pending the new road plan, or an acceptance that the larger project is unlikely to happen in the short to medium term.
Asked in relation to the status of the proposed Tullamore to Kilbeggan road plan after her contact with Minister Ryan, a spokesperson for Minister Hackett said: “Minister Ryan met with councillors in Offaly in early 2023 and it was clear that the road is still on the National Development Plan programme but to progress to the next stage in the development process will depend on the prioritisation of available resources.”
Although the preferred route for the new link road was published in May last, the future of the project is bleak, after it was omitted from TII funding allocations for 2022 and 2023. Preparatory work has now ceased on the project.
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.
Both Offaly and Westmeath County Councils have prioritised the new link road in order to improve both connectivity and safety on the route, with very high volumes of traffic using the N52, at some 14,000 vehicles per day.