Update sought on planned upgrade works for County Roscommon road

A progress update on the planned upgrade works on the N61 between Clashaganny and Tulsk was sought at a recent meeting of Roscommon County Council.

Fianna Fáil councillor Sean Moylan asked if Roscommon County Council had envisaged any timelines on putting the works out to tender.

In a formal reply, the council said the development of the N61 Tulsk to Clashaganny project had been “significantly negatively impacted” by judicial review proceedings initiated by a local landowner against the local authority’s decision in February 2023 to approve the project under the Part 8 planning process.

After careful deliberation in consultation with the council's legal advisors, the council outlined it had agreed to the setting aside of its decision and a new planning application would be required to progress the project.

The council response explained that the progression of the project through the planning and all subsequent stages was subject to the formal approval of Transport infrastructure Ireland (TII) and the provision of the necessary funding by TII.

“In this regard, Roscommon County Council sought funding to progress the planning stage in late 2024 as part of the normal TII allocation process. The notification of national road grant allocations to all local authorities including Roscommon County Council is currently awaited,” said the council.

Subject to TII approval and provision of the necessary funding, the council said it was in a position to progress the project planning stage.

“This process will involve design development and environmental impact assessment in accordance with all applicable legislation, standards and policies including but not limited to the infrastructure guidelines and relevant recommendations contained within the Speed Limit Review (September 2023).

“The planning process is anticipated to take a minimum of 18 months and will likely involve submission to An Bord Pleanála. It should be noted that subject to a successful outcome from the planning process, it will take a further period of at least two to three years to progress the project to tender stage,” it said.