Áine Ryan
Work on the first major road project in over a decade in the Westport area will start within months and the first section will cost €2.6 million, Joe Beirne, County Engineer, confirmed last week.
Mr Beirne told a meeting of the Westport Electoral Area Committee that the first section of the upgraded N59 Westport to Mulranny road project – from Newport to Kilbride – was due to be started in late August.
Following a question by Cllr Peter Flynn, Mr Beirne said this part of the project would take about nine months to complete.
Welcoming the announcement, Cllr Flynn said: “This is really good news. It is well over a decade since anything significant happened in relation to Westport roads. Considering the economic and environmental conditions we are presently in, this is great. Thanks must be extended to the Kilbride landowners who really helped expedite this project.”
However, Cllr Flynn also observed that it was worth noting that the three kilometers of road would cost €2.6 million while the entire Greenway from Westport to Mulranny would cost €5m and would create huge potential in tourism dividends.
Meanwhile, Mr Beirne also emphasised that the Emerging Preferred route for the entire project was not yet ‘set in stone and could be tweaked’. He was responding to concerns expressed by Cllr Johnny O’Malley, who cited the Barley Hill roadway as particularly dangerous and in need of redesign.
Earlier County Council designer, Marian McHugh told the meeting that the Emerging Preferred Route for the entire project would be on public display, in Newport, Westport and Castlebar from Thursday next, April 21. Submissions may be submitted until May 19 next, she said.
