Clonown Road closure period extended, again

The closure of the Clonown Road outside Athlone has been extended for a second time.

The road, which was due to reopen this Friday, will now remain closed until September 27, at least.

Works on McQuaid's Bridge over the canal at the start of the Clonown Road in Athlone have been underway since May as part of the Athlone Main Drainage Scheme undertaken by Uisce Éireann.

The work was due to be completed and the road reopened on the weekend of July 27/28, but that was then extended to August 23.

Today, Westmeath County Council has announced the road closure will now run until September 27.

The works involve the closure of a small section of the Clonown Road. As a result from May to late July, residents along the road between Athlone and Clonown were forced to undertake a lengthy detour through the village of Clonown in order to access their local town of Athlone via the old Ballinasloe Road.

However, in late July, in an effort to tackle that issue, a through road was created through the Canal Walk housing estate on the Clonown Road, restoring a direct link between Clonown to Athlone.

This was introduced by contractors working on behalf of Uisce Éireann as part of the Athlone Main Drainage Scheme, in conjunction with engineers from Westmeath County Council and Roscommon County Council.

This development, in turn, angered some residents within Canal Walk, who expressed concern over traffic safety and the lack of consultation over the move.