In announcing the approval, the Department of Transport stated that "inflationary pressures alongside rising costs of construction materials and elevated levels of shipping and logistic costs" have resulted in an estimated total project cost of €450 million.
It is anticipated that the project will take up to four years to complete. It will involve building 34 km of single-carriageway road from the western terminus of the current N5 Ballaghaderreen Bypass to Scramoge in Co. Roscommon.
Frenchpark, Bellanagare, Tulsk, and Strokestown will be bypassed as part of the project; however, the department stated that facilities for pedestrians and cyclists will be provided at towns' access points along the route.
Due to the fact that half of the current route had a collision rate that was higher than the national average for comparable roads, the road had previously been singled out for safety concerns. According to the department, significant stretches of the existing road have collision rates twice as high as the national average.
Eamon Ryan, the minister of transport, stated that “the Ballaghadereen to Scramoge project will replace one of the most hazardous sections of primary road in the country.”
“By completing the N5 corridor's gaps, access to the west and northwest will be facilitated.
By rerouting heavy traffic, trucks, and other heavy goods vehicles away from their centres, the new route will also improve the liveability, employment opportunities, and retail appeal of the towns and villages it serves.
And is one to assume that the EU will be expected to foot this astronomical figure? 450 million for 42 kilometers of road taking four years to build, in this day of financial pressure on everyone is this considered so necessary and this cost is disgracefull I wonder how many corrupt companies are getting involved , who ever passed this should be ashamed of their selves in a time when we still have people living on the streets in poverty this is just one more example of ridiculous overspending by people who are out to line their own pockets , yet more political corruption
By Gerard from UK on 29 Sep 2023, 10:00