Revealed: the final cost of Athlone's new bridge

The final cost of the new pedestrian and cycleway bridge over the Shannon in Athlone has been confirmed at just under €18m.

Details in the statutory audit report of Westmeath County Council for 2023 show that the total cost came to €17.87m. The represents a 37% increase in the original construction cost, of €13.04m.

The new structure was opened in August 2023, becoming the fourth bridge over the river in Athlone and the first to be developed since the bypass or relief road bridge opened to traffic in March 1991.

In a formal reponse to the Local Government Audit Service, Westmeath County Council said the 37% increase to the contract was made up of “two change orders to the contract”. The first, for €1.04m, was for additional works deemed necessary to complete the project.

It said the second, for €3.78m, related to compensation claims for additional works items submitted by the contractor.

“During the works, the contractor submitted 112 compensation events for additional works items and disputed the Employer’s Representative’s determinations under the Contract.”

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“The dispute was referred to conciliation and the conciliator’s recommendation was issued to both parties on the 4th of March 2024.”

It said the the €3.78m (incl. VAT) “was in accordance with the Conciliator’s recommendation”.

The opening of the new bridge was seen as a pivotal piece in the plan to develop a national offroad Dublin to Galway cycle route.

However, the Athlone to Galway phase of the project has been dogged with controversy and delays, meaning the cycleway does not continue beyond the west bank of the Shannon in Athlone.

Initital preparatory work on a route selection was paused in 2015 after strong opposition from farmers in East Galway.

A new process began in 2020 and a preferred route was announced in March 2023. However, later that year, the main consultants working on the project, RPS, stepped away saying its involvement was “no longer financially viable”.

Last April, it was announced that the Athlone to Galway cycleway was now being split into two separate projects.

Westmeath County Council will be managing the development of the first 83km section, from Athlone to Portumna, via Shannonbridge. Galway County Council will be looking after the remaining 114km section from Portumna to Ballyloughane, on the outskirts of Galway city.

However, this paper revealed recently that Westmeath County Council has confirmed that it does not anticipate a planning application being completed for at least another three years.