Proposed cycleway route through Shannonbridge is published
The route which the planned cycleway from Athlone to Galway is expected to follow when it reaches Shannonbridge was published for the first time last week.
More than a year after an 'emerging route corridor' for the cycleway was selected, maps showing the more specific 'preferred route' have gone on display on the project website and were shown at public information events last week in Oranmore, Gort, Portumna and Ballinasloe.
The preferred route map shows that the cycleway would approach Shanonbridge from the general direction of the R357 (Ballinasloe Road) after passing through Bord na Móna-owned bogland.
The selected crossing point at Shannonbridge is at the main bridge into the village, which suggests that either a cantilevered cycleway could be added to the side of the existing bridge structure or, less likely, that a new cycleway bridge might be constructed close to it.
Upon crossing the river, the cycleway would take a left turn and then run to the north of village's main street, parallel to the street and behind the existing buildings.
After it passes the back of Killeen's pub, the route would turn right and head southwards, past St Kieran's Church and on past the site of the West Offaly Power Station.
It would take a sharp right turn at the end of the power station site and would then cross the river again, over the Bord na Mona railway bridge, before proceeding in the direction of Galway.
The remainder of the route takes in Clonfert, Meelick, Portumna, Woodford, Gort, Kinvara, Kilcolgan, Clarinbridge, Rinville and Oranmore.
An extension to the main cycleway route is also planned in order to connect it with Ballinasloe.
A brochure distributed as part of the public information events held last week stated that the cycleway would be "a world class amenity" that would benefit local communities.
It said the cycleway "will typically be 8 metres wide but may vary in width, depending on topography and drainage requirements".
Michael Kelly, the project coordinator with Westmeath County Council, stressed that the preferred route was "not fixed" and that there might be some slight adjustments to it as the planning of the amenity continues.
"We are only now getting into doing a detailed design on the preferred route, and we have to do an environmental evaluation on that," he said.
"It could move slightly, or be tweaked, over the next twelve months. It's not fixed, we have said that. We won't be going to An Bord Pleanála (with a planning application) until quarter three, at the earliest, in 2024."
The public information events held in Galway last week attracted protests from some landowners in the county who have concerns about the impact the development could have on their land.
It's estimated that the first event in Oranmore drew a gathering of around 300 people. Approximately 250 people attended the events in Gort and Portumna, with the final event in Ballinasloe last Friday attracting a slightly smaller turnout.
Mr Kelly said his overall sense from last week was that the public information events had been worthwhile.
"It was a good engagement for both parties. There were learnings from it, and we have to work on that now over the next period," he commented.