Safety works in west Mayo town expected to begin after Easter

The long-awaited improvement works along the notoriously dangerous George's Street in Newport is expected to begin after Easter after the TII gave the project the green light.

The scheme to upgrade George's Street in Newport to make it safe for pedestrians has been delayed for a number of months with expected start dates continuously pushed back.

The latest delay was awaiting the approval by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) of the tender report which was forwarded to them by the Mayo Roads Design Office before Christmas.

However, that approval has now been granted by the TII and it is expected the work will commence after the Easter holidays.

The project will involve the construction of a new 200 metre long footpath along the left hand side of the street as you travel towards Achill along with a pedestrian crossing at the Glenhest Road.

The news was welcomed by local councillor Brendan Mulroy who stated he received official correspondence from the roads section of Mayo County Council that the scheme has now been approved.

The Westport-based councillor said he looked forward to work starting on the project and praised the local community for their determination to see improvements on the west Mayo street.

“I have received official confirmation that work will commence in the coming weeks,” he stated on his Facebook page.

“Thanks to the George's Street action group for their determination and spirit throughout the process, and also thanks to my council colleagues for their support with this over the last number of years,” he said.

An official from Mayo County Council stated that with the scheme now approved, there will be a two week standstill period before the contract can be formally awarded to the successful contractor.

“We will be looking for the contractor to commence as soon as possible after Easter,” the official stated in correspondence with Cllr Mulroy.

George's Street links the centre of Newport with the busy N59 Mulranny Road and is considered a hazard by many residents due to its narrow footpaths and the lack of safe crossing points and fast moving traffic.

In recent years, a number of residents living along George’s Street in Newport and in the vicinity of the street have campaigned for safety works for the street and expressed frustration at the lack of progress in addressing safety concerns.