€900k funding boost for Edenderry inner relief road project
The long-awaited inner Relief road project for the north Offaly town of Edenderry received a welcome financial boost today to the tune of €900,000 when details of the 2021 investment programme for regional and local roads was announced.
Offaly County Council was allocated a total of €12.5m, with the bulk of the monies going towards restoration works. The biggest allocation, by far, is for the Edenderry inner relief road, with a further €160,000 to be spent on safety improvements at the Tesco Roundabout, which forms part of the town’s inner relief road project.
The route for the inner relief road project for Edenderry will go from Tesco to the Monasteroris Industrial Estate, cutting through Clonmullen housing development and the Kinnegad road. The project has already been approved by members of Offaly County Council, with a price tag in the region of €4.5m on completion.
The 2021 investment programme for regional and local roads, which was announced earlier today by Minister Eamon Ryan and Minister of State, Hildegarde Naughton, sees funding of €555m being made available. 3,100km of roads are to be maintained with the funding, while a further 2,450km will be strengthened.
Among the other Offaly projects to benefit from today’s funding announcement are the R420 road at Meelaghans, Tullamore which is to receive €100,000 for improvement works; the R492/L-4011 Brosna road in Shinrone (€40,000 for improvement works) and a total of €344,950 for bridge rehabilitation works on 10 specific bridges throughout the county including at Gorteen, Cloncannon, Barrow, Garryhinch and Ballycumber.
Speaking at the announcement, Minister Eamon Ryan said “our main priority in 2021 is the maintenance and renewal of our existing regional and local road network, and we must also ensure that our roads are resilient against the deteriorating effects of climate change.”
Minister of State, Hildegarde Naughton added that funding for the roll out of a signage programme relating to lower speed limits in housing areas, as well as ‘safe pasing’ signs for cyclists will also be provided as parts of today’s allocations.