Possible new approach to national greenway serving Shannonbridge

A major national greenway which is expected to pass through Shannonbridge, but has been running into lengthy ongoing delays, could now be divided into "incremental" sections in an effort to kick-start its development.

The possible new approach to the delivery of the Athlone to Galway greenway project was mentioned by local authority officials at a recent meeting in Athlone.

The 200km preferred route for the Athlone to Galway cycleway project was announced in March 2023, but is currently under review.

The preferred route charted a route from Athlone which headed in a south-westerly direction, close to Cornafulla and Johnstown in South Roscommon, before continuing on to Shannonbridge.

The preferred cycleway route did not pass directly through Ballinasloe, but, just beyond Shannonbridge, a branch was due to extend from it in order to link it with the East Galway town.

However, three years on from the announcement of the preferred route, there has been no tangible progress on the delivery of the greenway project.

The latest setback for it came late last year, when a top Department of Transport official revealed that the councils involved had been asked to "reflect" on the project after "potential effects on biodiversity" were identified.

It was previously indicated in 2024 that the overall project could be broken up into two sections - Athlone to Portumna and Portumna to Galway - as part of a fresh effort to get it started.

At a recent meeting of the Athlone Moate Municipal District, Athlone councillor Aengus O'Rourke asked for an update on the "current status" of the amenity.

In response, council management in Athlone raised the possibility of the project being broken up into smaller stretches.

"A review was carried out on the Preferred Option of the Galway to Athlone greenway in 2025," stated the council's reply. "The local authorities have written to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) on the outcome of the review.

"Consideration is being given to an incremental delivery approach which will support the overall progression of the scheme, whilst also mitigating some of the risks identified in the review including environmental and funding constraints.

"Local authorities are carrying out an assessment to prioritise delivery on this phased basis. The outcome of this assessment is expected in Q2 2026," the reply added.