Another Athlone road to close due to wastewater works

The latest in a series of road closures associated with the Athlone Main Drainage wastewater project has been announced.

Payne's Lane, in the Belhavel area of Golden Island, is to be fully closed to traffic for almost two months, from Sunday week, July 7, until August 30.

Details of the closure were posted on social media this week by Westmeath County Council, which said diversions would be signposted while it was in effect.

Payne's Lane was previously closed for a number of months due to the same project. When its reopening was announced, in February of this year, Uisce Éireann signalled that a "tunnel boring machine" would be used there later in 2024.

"Payne's Lane will again need to close for a short period of time in the summer to accommodate tunnelling and connection works," said Uisce Éireann in February.

The upcoming closure of Payne's Lane follows on from other road closures, also associated with the Athlone Main Drainage Scheme, which came into effect in late April and during May.

Areas affected by these closures include Abbey Road, McQuaid's Bridge, and Clonown Road.

The €114 million Athlone Main Drainage wastewater project includes the installation of almost 3 kilometres of new underground sewer pipes, along with the construction of new pumping stations at Golden Island and Coosan West.

The project is expected to continue until the end of next year.