September start date for Athlone to Mullingar greenway

Westmeath County Council - which is to project-manage the creation of the new Galway to Dublin cycle Greenway - is anticipating that work on the Mullingar to Athlone stretch will start as soon as September.

The greenway is to be an off-road cycle and walkway between Galway and Maynooth.

At the July meeting of the council in Mullingar, official Hugh O’Reilly explained that the approval of councillors was required for the council to undertake the project-management role for Galway City Council, Galway County Council and Roscommon County Council.

A document circulated to members stated that the next step would be a presentation in August/September to the elected members of the three local authorities on progress to date, and on the proposed corridor between Athlone and Galway City.

This will then be followed by public consultations in September 2014, and then the statutory procedures.

In relation to the west-bound stretches, members of the council were told that the aim is to commence construction of the 40km stretch from Mullingar to Athlone East in September of this year, with the work to be completed by June 2015. €4m in funding was allocated for the work in July 2014.

For the 5km stretch from Athlone East to Athlone Castle, an Environmental Impact Survey is being prepared, and should be ready for publication in November, while for the Athlone Castle to Eyre Square stretch - which comes to 140 kms - the public consultations on the proposed corridor should begin in September of this year, with the Environmental Impact Study and Compulsory Purchase Orders to be undertaken in 2015.

Labour councillor, Mick Dollard, asked what the implications of the development between Mullingar and Athlone are on any potential future move to re-open the train line connecting the two towns.

Mr O’Reilly responded that the reopening of the line was not part of Iarnród Éireann’s strategy for the next twenty years. He added too that the lease on the track for the greenway project is for twenty years.

“It won’t prejudice the reopening of the railway line,” he stated.