This section of Sean Costello Street in Athlone is now due to remain open to traffic until November. It will then be pedestrianised.

Athlone street now to remain open to traffic until November

In a change to its previously indicated plan for the management of the ongoing town centre street works in Athlone, Westmeath County Council has said Sean Costello Street will now remain open to traffic until early November.

Prior to this, the local authority had stated that the upcoming reopening of Mardyke Street to one-way traffic would then result in the permanent traffic closure of a section of Sean Costello Street which is to be pedestrianised.

The current works at Mardyke Street are expected to be largely completed by tomorrow (Friday).

In an update this week, Deirdre Reilly, Director of Services with Westmeath County Council, said Mardyke Street would then reopen to traffic on Monday next, October 2.

"This is to ensure that the reopening can be monitored by the contractor for the first couple of days early in the week, rather than opening immediately before the busy weekend period," she said.

Ms Reilly told the Westmeath Independent that Sean Costello Street would be kept open to traffic until early November "to facilitate traffic management arrangements" while works are taking place near the front entrance to Dunnes Stores at the John Broderick St, Pump Lane, Irishtown junction.

"From early November onwards Sean Costello Street will be closed to traffic," said Ms Reilly.

She reiterated that work on the streetscape project would be "paused" in December in order to prevent it from interfering with pre-Christmas trade.

The street works, which also take in part of St Mary's Square, got underway in March of the year and are scheduled for completion by March 2024.

Mardyke Street was initially due to reopen to traffic in late August, but this was pushed back by just over a month.

However the council said it was satisfied with the overall progress of the project thus far.

"Works are progressing well. Bi-weekly liaison meetings are taking place between the contractor, John Cradock Ltd, and local business or stakeholders to keep all briefed of upcoming works," Ms Reilly commented.

As part of the project a section of Sean Costello Street, between Flannery's pub and the former Ulster Bank premises, is being pedestrianised.

The contractor for the project previously worked on the streetscape redevelopment at nearby Church Street in Athlone, which began in 2018 and was completed the following year.