Proposal to upgrade N61 to national road not supported by Department of Transport
Roscommon County Council recently learned that their proposal to upgrade the N61 road from Roscommon town to Athlone to a national route has been turned down by the Department of Transport.
Council Chief Executive Shane Tiernan told the assembled councillors at a recent plenary meeting that he was “very disappointed” to receive notification from the Minister of Transport Eamon Ryan that the department would not support the proposed upgrade.
He said he was particularly disappointed “in light of the great work we had put into it, and proving that it aligned with national policy as an enabler for the North West, and bringing back balance to regional growth by connecting us with the North West of the country.”
He added that this would not be the end of the council's efforts on this matter.
"I have already had some commentary and support from various Oireachtas members, who are just not satisfied with that position, so it is a work in progress.”
Cathaoirleach Cllr Paschal Fitzmaurice agreed that the feedback from the minister was a disappointment but said the council would return to the issue in the future.
A report aimed at improving safety conditions on the main 28km-long Athlone to Roscommon thoroughfare was presented to the Roscommon County Council just before Christmas.
The N61 Roscommon Town to Athlone Strategic Review outlined a series of 107 measures to help address deficiencies along the busy road in the short- to medium-term, 15 of which are classed as "priority interventions" and would address 35 different measures identified.
The report also voiced concern that the government's National Roads 2040 plan, published in April 2023, “effectively downgrades the role of the N61" in providing regional connectivity between the regional centres of Athlone and Sligo, something that could pose a difficulty in terms of sourcing funding in the future.
Instead the 2040 report, which is TII's long-term strategy for planning, operating and maintaining the national road network, recommends the upgrading of the N55 and N4 as the regional connection linking Sligo and Athlone. This would involve motorists travelling between Sligo and Athlone via Ballymahon and Edgeworthstown
The N61 report, which was compiled by consultants ROD-AECOM on behalf of the local authority, stated that the objective to upgrade the N61 to National Primary Status should be prioritised by the council so that the N61 attracts the “appropriate level of investment required in the long term” in order to fulfil its strategic role.