Traffic safety scheme approved for busy Roscommon junction

A traffic safety scheme has been approved for a busy junction in Roscommon Town.

The road safety improvement scheme will be located at the junction of the L-7051 and the N63 at Abbeytown. This is also the main access road to Roscommon Railway Station, located approximately 100 metres from the junction.

Designed by the council to address safety issues with the current junction layout, the Part 8 scheme was endorsed by elected members at a special meeting of the Roscommon Municipal District on Monday.

The design will deliver a continuous walking route and a new raised pedestrian crossing, particularly for vulnerable road users at this junction.

The project will provide for widened footpaths, narrowing of the carriageway, junction improvement and hard and soft landscaping. The plan will also involve putting existing overhead services underground and removing an ESB pole from the footpath to provide unobstructed footways.

The meeting heard that the junction is located in a busy area comprising four schools, housing estates, a hotel and retail outlets - resulting in high levels of pedestrian activity.

The chief executive’s report on the scheme, presented to councillors, highlighted illegal parking at the junction as an ongoing issue, with the scheme designed to provide some parking and loading areas for nearby businesses.

Councillors welcomed the safety scheme and the level of engagement with local businesses and the community to ensure a solution was delivered for the benefit of everyone. Senior executive engineer, John Freeman and his colleagues were thanked by councillors for their work on the project.

The scheme’s approval was proposed by Fianna Fáil councillor Marty McDermott and seconded by his party colleague, Cllr Larry Brennan.