Cost of Athlone flood defence scheme rises to €27.6 million

The expected final cost of the Athlone Flood Defences project is €27.6 million.

The estimate is included in a report by the Comptroller & Auditor General published on Monday.

The Athlone Flood Alleviation Scheme is being led by Westmeath County Council with funding provided by Office of Public Works (OPW) which is also undertaking the construction of the scheme directly.

The scheme comprises eight separate cells of flood defences at Deerpark, The Strand, The Quay, Brick Island, Marine View, Iona Park, River Al (Creggan), and Golden Island.

When first announced in 2016, the Athlone Flood Alleviation Scheme was originally estimated at €6m. However, the scheme has expanded both in scope and detail since then.

Work began on the project in November 2017, and deadlines for its completion have been regularly extended.

In April 2023, members of the Athlone Moate Municipal District were told the project would be completed by the first quarter of this year. However, last month, September, another update pushed the anticipated completion date for the flood alleviation scheme in the town to early 2025.

The Comptroller & Auditor General report notes that an earlier cost estimate for the project was carried out in 2017. "In 2023, a review of the project budget took place and the current total project budget is approx. €27 million (the scheme has a benefit of €48 million)," it said.

It said: "The vast majority of the increase is attributable to an increased scope of work incorporated into the final design which could not have been foreseen in the original construction cost estimate, along with cost increases associated with construction inflation."

The Office of Public Works has previously said delays to the scheme were incurred as a result of prolonged elevated water levels on the Shannon, Covid-19 and the introduction of high quality masonry finishes to the flood walls.

In September, councillors were told in an official update that work had completed in three of the eight cells, Golden Island, Carrickobrien and Iona Park, with works "largely complete' at The Quay.

Works are ongoing in Marine View, The Strand and Deerpark, while a planning application for work at the River Al is being prepared for submission to An Bord Pleanala.