New bridge over Shannon links Athlone and Maynooth by greenway

A new €15 million bridge was opened by Minister of State for Transport Jack Chambers in Athlone on Tuesday morning, officially completing the 108km greenway linking the Co Westmeath town with Maynooth in Co Kildare.

The Athlone Greenway Bridge crosses the river Shannon, and is part of the planned 300km Galway to Dublin greenway. The coast-to-coast greenway, aimed at cyclists and pedestrians, will be part of the EuroVelo 2, a 5,500km route passing through Ireland, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Belarus and Russia.

At the opening of the bridge, Mr Chambers said the Government was “committed to expanding our Active Travel and greenway infrastructure network through the provision of walking and cycling facilities in our cities, towns, villages and rural areas”. Active Travel projects receive money from the National Transport Authority (NTA) for the provision of walking and cycling infrastructure.

Mr Chambers also noted that the funding of the extended Galway to Dublin greenway was a commitment of the Government under the programme for government, with further work under way to extend the existing routes to link the east and west coasts. “The opening of this bridge marks a milestone in the delivery of this project,” he said.

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Cllr Liam McDaniel, cathaoirleach of Westmeath County Council, said the greenway project would benefit the wider community, “providing active travel linkages for schoolchildren, students, employees and local residents”.

In Maynooth, at the other end of the greenway, Paul McCourt said that the greenway was “a great innovation”.

“I’ve just retired there recently, and only discovered it, but it’s great, I do use it fairly frequently… at least twice a week,” he said, sitting on his bicycle near Maynooth train station.

Mr McCourt normally uses the greenway to travel between Maynooth and nearby Kilcock, where he has lived for the last 30 years – but has travelled as far as Enfield in Co Meath using the route.

He said he has seen “a little bit of messing” along the greenway – people consuming alcohol along the Royal Canal – but that, overall, the greenway is a useful amenity. “It’s a great facility.”

Maurice Robinson said he has travelled as far as Co Longford on the greenway.

“You can cycle halfway across the country without using roads, so it’s good,” he said, dressed in cycling gear.

Ann Kelly, from Maynooth, both walks and cycles on the greenway, travelling to Kilcock and Enfield.

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“It’s very good, and I’d like to see it extended,” she said while walking her dog along the greenway.

Alan Maye, of Mullingar Bike Hire, said that there were huge opportunities for businesses to benefit from an extended greenway.

“As it has grown over the years, we’ve tourists coming from all over really – Americans, Canadians, the whole lot,” he said. “People are following the EuroVelo route, and they’re doing the sections across Europe.”

Mr Maye said that while the partially completed Galway to Dublin greenway was not yet as busy as other greenway routes in the country – such as the Waterford Greenway – his shop’s business had grown as the route was developed. “We’ve seen our business growing and growing.”

“There would be huge potential if it opened right through, more footfall,” he added. “Old pubs are being done up, there’s places to pull over and have a coffee and a tea.”

The Galway to Dublin greenway, which is partially completed, was first announced in 2012 by then-minister for transport Leo Varadkar. A preferred route corridor for the Athlone to Galway section of the greenway was selected after a public consultation process that opened in December 2021.

Previous efforts to select a preferred route corridor stalled in 2015 after opposition from landowners in east Galway, who said adequate consultation had not taken place.