N52 link road project 'will be funded in 2026'

One of Offaly's most crucial infrastructural projects – the N52 Link Road between Tullamore and Kilbeggan - has taken a significant step forward this week with a local TD saying he's received confirmation that funding is to be restored for the scheme in 2026 under the National Development Plan (NDP).

The breakthrough came in a letter issued to Offaly Fianna Fáil TD Tony McCormack by Transport Minister, Darragh O'Brien, in which he states that the Government “fully intends” to provide funding for the N52 Link Road in 2026. The Minister also acknowledged the strategic importance of the project in improving road safety, reducing journey times and enhancing regional connectivity.

Deputy McCormack hailed the announcement as “a landmark moment for the Midlands,” and said the restoration of funding for the N52 Link Road will pave the way for “not only safer travel, but also for unlocking cultural, economic, and tourism opportunities in the region.”

The Tullamore to Kilbeggan road is one of the busiest routes in the country, with some 19,000 cars travelling along the national secondary road daily, and annual traffic volumes increasing by an average of 5%.

“If we started to build this road tomorrow it wouldn't be completed until 2033, so it is of the utmost importance that funding is restored,” said Deputy McCormack, who added that the safety of the local communities along the route was “one of the main drivers” of the campaign to have the road built.

The estimated cost of bringing the long-awaited project to the construction phase is €1.2 million, with the projected overall cost of the project expected to be in the region of €60 million.

A preferred route has already been selected, and Deputy McCormack says he does not “foresee any major problems arising” in relation to landowner consent.

The emerging preferred route is circa 8.1km in length and maximises use of existing upgraded sections of the N52, including the Tullamore Bypass at the south and the approach to the M6 junction at the north.

Leaving from Tullamore, the route corridor follows the existing N52 until just north of the L2003 Ballynamona Road, where it diverges to the east. It crosses the L2005 and the L2006 High Road before merging back with the existing N52 again, north of the county boundary in the townland of Curraghglass.

Plans to upgrade a 8km stretch of the National Secondary Route between the Tullamore Bypass and the M6 at Junction 5 (Kilbeggan) were first mooted as far back as 2011 but, despite the fact that a lot of preliminary work has been completed in the intervening years, funding to advance the project to construction has never materialised.

The latest round of roads funding announced by the Department of Transport in March of this year resulted in no funding being allocated to the N52 Link Road for the fourth successive year.

Deputy McCormack met with Transport Minister, Darragh O'Brien, shortly after that announcement, and said afterwards he was “hopeful” that the project could be restored to the Programme for Government.

This week's confirmation from the Minister that the project is to be funded in 2026 is “a real breakthrough” according to Deputy McCormack, who said the new link road will deliver a “safer, more modern route for commuters and local families alike and will also “open the door” to the establishment of a interpretive centre near the Durrow High Cross site. He also said it will also provide “critical support for local businesses” by reducing transport times and making the area more attractive for investment.