New €450m road project approved in Roscommon

The Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, has announced that the N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge Road Project has been approved by Cabinet today and will now progress to the construction phase.

The project involves the construction of approximately 34km of new single carriageway road that will extend from the western end of the existing N5 Ballaghaderreen Bypass to the townland of Scramoge in County Roscommon, bypassing the towns and villages of Frenchpark, Bellanagare, Tulsk and Strokestown. Provision will also be made for pedestrian and cyclist facilities where the route meets access points to some of the towns along the route.

The estimated total scheme cost of the N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge Road Project is more than €450million and it will take up to four years to complete. The new estimate for the project has increased due to inflationary pressures alongside rising costs of construction materials and elevated levels of shipping and logistic costs. The Government remains committed to funding this project due to the road safety concerns surrounding the route. Roughly half of the existing route has a collision rate above the national average for such roads, with significant sections having a rate twice the national average.

Following today’s cabinet approval Minister Eamon Ryan said: “The Ballaghadereen to Scramoge project will replace one of the most treacherous sections of primary road in the country. By completing the missing links in the N5 corridor it will improve access to the west and northwest. The new route will also make the towns and villages it serves more attractive places to live, work and shop by diverting heavy traffic, trucks and other heavy goods vehicles out of their centres.

"Decisions to proceed with large infrastructural projects like this are becoming increasingly difficult. Inflationary pressures are pushing up costs to eye-watering amounts. Against this budget pressure, priority will remain on progressing with the development of by-passes around our major towns and proceeding with the major public transport programmes announced that can transport thousands of people quickly and efficiently, so freeing up our road space, particularly in our towns and cities.”

Peter Walsh, CEO of Transport Infrastructure Ireland said: “We very much welcome Government approval for the N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge project today. Upon completion this project will improve road user safety as well as enhance regional accessibility for both the northern and western regions of the country”.

New pedestrian/cycle facilities will be provided as part of the project in Strokestown (between the Lavally and Kildalloge roundabout) and also on the N61 west of Elphin between the N5/N61 and roundabouts.

In addition, several complementary pedestrian/cycle measures are currently being considered to link to the scheme with public realm proposal/improvements in areas such as Elphin and Strokestown.

The removal of approx. 70% of traffic from the existing N5 corridor will improve safety, air quality and noise, thereby creating a more attractive route for active travel. It will also create opportunities for enhanced physical activity within and between the communities of Strokestown, Tulsk, Bellanagare, Frenchpark, along with the tourism potential of the Candidate UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Rathcroghan Archaeological complex.

The project will provide long-term economic benefits to the region, improving connectivity to Ireland West Airport at Knock.