Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Ballaghaderreen County Roscommon.

Cabinet greenlights reformulated €450 million project to replace 'treacherous' Roscommon road

Originally approved in 2021 at a cost of €200 million, the project was held back after the last contractor went into liquidation.

COUNTY ROSCOMMON WILL finally see a major roadworks project undertaken to replace “one of the most treacherous” stretches of primary road in the country, Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan has announced. 

The N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge Road Project was approved by Cabinet today and will now progress to the construction phase. 

The new single carriageway road will cover roughly 34km that will extend from the western end of the existing N5 Ballaghaderreen Bypass to the townland of Scramoge in County Roscommon, bypassing the towns and villages of Frenchpark, Bellanagare, Tulsk and Strokestown.

Originally approved in 2021 at a cost of €200 million, the project has been held back as a result of the last contractor going into liquidation. 

Now the price of the project has more than doubled to €450 million. Ryan blamed the increase on “inflationary pressures alongside rising costs of construction materials and elevated levels of shipping and logistic costs”.

Ryan cited safety concerns about the stretch of existing road as the primary reason for its replacement while also saying it would improve access to the west and north-west of the country. 

“The Ballaghadereen to Scramoge project will replace one of the most treacherous sections of primary road in the country. By completing the missing links in the N5 corridor it will improve access to the west and northwest. 

“The new route will also make the towns and villages it serves more attractive places to live, work and shop by diverting heavy traffic, trucks and other heavy goods vehicles out of their centres,” he said.

The minister also said that building bypasses is a priority for his department amid rising costs. 

Minister of State for Transport Jack Chambers said: “This scheme, which was approved at Government today, will eliminate sections of the N5 that have had collision rates nearly twice above the national road average.”

He added that the new route would reduce travel times and therefore costs.

CEO of Transport Infrastructure Ireland Peter Walsh said: “We very much welcome Government approval for the N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge project today.”

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
30 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Chris O'Brien
    Favourite Chris O'Brien
    Report
    Sep 26th 2023, 8:37 PM

    Half a billion for than 20 miles of road.

    This is HALF of what it costs in urban areas of the US. Half.

    Just plain mismanagement and probably corruption.

    We Irish can’t do big projects.

    193
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Clank
    Favourite Clank
    Report
    Sep 26th 2023, 8:48 PM

    @Chris O’Brien: was thinking the same,but also 200 million in 21,and now 450 million 2 years later

    109
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Sean O'Dhubhghaill
    Favourite Sean O'Dhubhghaill
    Report
    Sep 26th 2023, 9:04 PM

    @Chris O’Brien: So it costs 1 billion in the US??

    75
    See 4 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Bert Carolan
    Favourite Bert Carolan
    Report
    Sep 26th 2023, 9:17 PM

    @Sean O’Dhubhghaill: Didn’t spot that, nice one.

    16
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Liam23
    Favourite Liam23
    Report
    Sep 26th 2023, 9:19 PM

    @Chris O’Brien: what corruption are you talking about??

    13
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute John Terry
    Favourite John Terry
    Report
    Sep 26th 2023, 9:51 PM

    @Liam23: The corruption in his head.

    18
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paddy C
    Favourite Paddy C
    Report
    Sep 26th 2023, 10:00 PM

    @Chris O’Brien: great country:) Al Capone was less of a gangster than the shower running this country he’d be amazed he was a joke next to them

    26
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Irish Conservative
    Favourite Irish Conservative
    Report
    Sep 26th 2023, 9:13 PM

    Single carriageway roadway….Wow let’s celebrate like its the 1930s. Perfect proactive solution not to include passing lanes on new construction. Car with trailer max speed 80km; car behind it max speed 100 with no safe area to pass, what could go wrong? Solution they come up with rather than acknowledge their failure is to reduce speed limits to 80 for all. Simple decisions designed by simple minds.

    151
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Bert Carolan
    Favourite Bert Carolan
    Report
    Sep 26th 2023, 9:30 PM

    @Irish Conservative: Completely new road and area relatively flat so road should be straight enough, similar to Ballagh/Charlestown bypass. Overtaking slower traffic should not be a problem with a bit of common sense.

    31
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Irish Conservative
    Favourite Irish Conservative
    Report
    Sep 26th 2023, 10:09 PM

    @Bert Carolan: It is usually the volume of on coming traffic that creates the problem for passing. Single carriageway roads are Seven times (7x) more dangerous compared to dual lanes per Road Safety Foundation. Building passing lanes to alleviate congestion safely is common sense.

    68
    See 1 more reply ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Bert Carolan
    Favourite Bert Carolan
    Report
    Sep 26th 2023, 10:44 PM

    @Irish Conservative: If your stats are correct then fair point, though I do think we have a tendancy in this country to blame roads and speed limits for accidents rather than driver behaviour.

    16
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Pat Collins
    Favourite Pat Collins
    Report
    Sep 26th 2023, 8:36 PM

    They should continue the M4 all the way to all the way to Sligo and be done with it. Small-minded thinking again, like we don’t want any of those 10-story skyscrapers in Dublin.

    156
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute hi from heaven
    Favourite hi from heaven
    Report
    Sep 26th 2023, 8:22 PM

    God they were depressing towns to go through…all the same I’ll miss them..

    76
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Bert Carolan
    Favourite Bert Carolan
    Report
    Sep 26th 2023, 8:49 PM

    @hi from heaven: Strokestown not bad. I won’t miss the stretch of road, you could be stuck behind a truck for miles.
    Take a detour through Clondra and it’s 3 bridges sometime just to see what the main road used to be like.

    47
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Mary Conneely
    Favourite Mary Conneely
    Report
    Sep 26th 2023, 10:30 PM

    @hi from heaven: well I won’t miss them, has to be the worst stretch of road in the country

    18
    See 1 more reply ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Laois Weather
    Favourite Laois Weather
    Report
    Sep 26th 2023, 11:39 PM

    @Bert Carolan: Took a trip just now, thanks Google Streetview and oh my! It was barely designed for an ass and cart!

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute JJ Dolan
    Favourite JJ Dolan
    Report
    Sep 26th 2023, 10:20 PM

    13.2 million a kilometer…. Is it the heated road or something.

    58
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Shamey Lyons
    Favourite Shamey Lyons
    Report
    Sep 26th 2023, 10:57 PM

    @JJ Dolan: in fairness there will be no bends in it. Straight as f%ck, like whoever builds it.

    21
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute John Meade
    Favourite John Meade
    Report
    Sep 26th 2023, 9:44 PM

    Watch whoever gets the contract milk the taxpayers like a prize cow. I’ll bet the same road could be built abroad for a fraction of that cost. We have a reputation as being prime for riding when it comes to construction, we just bend over every time

    63
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Fred Coloe
    Favourite Fred Coloe
    Report
    Sep 26th 2023, 8:38 PM

    More than doubled in price! Will probably cost €600 million. The country is run by buffoons!

    131
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Shamey Lyons
    Favourite Shamey Lyons
    Report
    Sep 26th 2023, 10:55 PM

    @Fred Coloe: not fair on buffoons

    35
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute P.J. Nolan
    Favourite P.J. Nolan
    Report
    Sep 27th 2023, 11:13 AM

    @Fred Coloe:
    True but then the guy who but I the bid of €200 million went bust……
    I’d be more concerned that the contract is a bit more water tight than the children’s hospital one.

    6
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute hi from heaven
    Favourite hi from heaven
    Report
    Sep 26th 2023, 8:58 PM

    It didn’t really double in price… same as the childrens hospital, they low ball and then add on extras..
    Only difference is road bridge bluff was called on a couple of projects that they had done previously and hence went bust..

    42
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute P.J. Nolan
    Favourite P.J. Nolan
    Report
    Sep 27th 2023, 11:14 AM

    @hi from heaven:
    Bullseye

    3
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute
    Favourite
    Report
    Sep 26th 2023, 9:49 PM

    €450m…..So the final cost will be closer to €600m

    31
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Owen Mc
    Favourite Owen Mc
    Report
    Sep 27th 2023, 1:54 AM

    Something wrong with the costings here for a Single Carriage Way Road, the new 30 Klm A6 Derry to Dungiven Dual Carriage Way has just been completed at a total cost of £250 Million Stg, which is a lot cheaper per Klm than it is in the South.

    31
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Brendan Godley
    Favourite Brendan Godley
    Report
    Sep 27th 2023, 8:23 AM

    It would be nice to get a breakdown on where the money goes. How much to planners, how much to engineers, ect

    22
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Denis Hourihane
    Favourite Denis Hourihane
    Report
    Sep 26th 2023, 10:58 PM

    Will have to make Strokestown detour for chips in Antonelli’s …

    21
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute
    Favourite
    Report
    Sep 26th 2023, 8:16 PM

    Taking the aul roads in I see

    20
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute MTB Mayo
    Favourite MTB Mayo
    Report
    Oct 2nd 2023, 10:55 AM

    The money was all spent on archaeologists, ecologists, planners and lawyers – the “make work” crowd. People need to remember that money spent by the government goes somewhere – it doesn’t just go into a black hole – it goes towards paying labourers, digger drivers, quarries, tarmac contractors, plant hire companies, engineers, fuel suppliers, mechanics and a lot of the local shops will see a lot more trade during construction. SO this money goes into the economy – OUR economy, it helps stimulate economic growth, it helps people put food on the table and pay their mortgages, it provides employment in an area of the country that has suffered underinvestment for generations. It’s about time the NW got some of what Munster & Leinster have – capital expenditure and investment.

    1
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a commentcancel

 
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds