Tullamore town enhancement to be suspended in run up to Christmas

Work on the multi-million euro revamp of Tullamore's town centre will be suspended in the run-up to Christmas to ease disruptions for retailers and shoppers.

The news, which has been welcomed by members of the business community and local politicians, was announced at the October meeting of Tullamore Municipal District held last Thursday. Bar minor works, constuction will cease at the end of November.

Councillors were told that bar minor works that won’t ence businesses or members of the public, work will stop at the end of November before resuming in early January. It was also announced that there will be one hour free public parking throughout the month of December as a goodwill gesture to the business community.

The news has been welcomed by Cllr Sean O'Brien, who says that he hopes that retailers will recoup some of the income lost during the course of the works.

"We were told that work will stop and the end of the November and there will be no disruption in the centre of the town. The only works that will be taking place are minor things, such as snagging. All excavation work will stop. It will give retailers and people a chance to go about their business in the month of December in peace."

In a statement to the Offaly Independent, John Connelly, District Engineer with Tullamore Municipal District, said that the town enhancement works, while behind schedule, are "proceeding well with a general acknowledgement of the high quality of the work being carried out by the contractor and indeed the high quality of the design"

"There has been a lot of attention also given by the contractor to health and safety on site and temporary traffic management and this has aided greatly with the smooth running of the project.

"While the project is somewhat behind the original programme this is primarily because of the necessity to carry out sewer improvements in parallel with the works.

"It has not been possible to include all the trees envisaged in the design because of interference of underground services. Alternatives are now being considered. Raised road crossings have been incorporated into the design to emphasise pedestrian priority and the sense of place in the town centre.

"It is expected that road surfacing works in High Street and O'Connor square will commence at the end of this month, with paving work commencing on the northern part of the square also. Work on Columcille St to the Harbour St jis expected to be complete by the end of November. Work on the remainder of Columcille St will recommence in the New year."