TAOISEACH Brian Cowen officially opened the €116 million N52 Tullamore bypass in Co Offaly yesterday, 10 months ahead of schedule. The road is expected to remove 10,000 cars from the town every day.
“I want to thank everyone from the design team who put it right behind my back door,” Mr Cowen said at the opening of the 14km route.
“I’m probably the only person who they could see wouldn’t be objecting to it. I want to thank them for their foresight in coming up with that particular solution.”
Speaking of future road projects under the Government’s Transport 21 scheme, given the economic climate, Mr Cowen said: “The major inter-urban network will be completed by the end of next year and then we will move into the next phase of developments.”
He said the plans were subject to resources, but “the important thing is that the plans are in place”.
According to the National Roads Authority (NRA), the new bypass will alleviate congestion in Tullamore and remove 10,000 cars from the town daily.
Mr Cowen said the on-budget early completion of the project was “a great testament to partnership between the private sector, the National Roads Authority, who have been given statutory authority for this kind of work, and the local authority”.
NRA chairman Peter Malone thanked the Taoiseach and Minister for Transport for their support. “Tullamore has now been given back to the citizens like other bypassed towns in Ireland.”
He said the NRA was working to provide an “excellent and safer road network”. Progress had been made on a number of routes recently and the M50 works were near completion.
Offaly county manager Pat Gallagher described the bypass as being of “great importance in developing Tullamore’s role as part of the midland gateway project”. He said the bypass was completed in a timely fashion despite extensive archaeological investigations.
Tullamore County Council chairman Noel Bourke welcomed the completion of the project. “It is a big investment in this particular area and those who live in Co Offaly are very thankful for that.”