merrion street

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Leo Varadkar has today turned the sod on the €26 million N5 Longford Bypass. This new road scheme, which will consist of 2.6km of single carriageway, is due for completion towards the end of next year. The N5 Longford Bypass is the first of six new road starts beginning in 2011.

Speaking today Minister Varadkar said:

‘I’m very pleased to be able to turn the sod for this new road in these difficult times for the economy. I’m very happy to confirm that five other projects are due to start this year. This project is already creating jobs, will improve road safety and add considerably to the quality of life in the area.

“These commencement works on the Longford bypass are evidence of this Government’s commitment to road safety. It follows the €75 million boost for shovel-ready transport projects which got the green light earlier this week, and which will make our roads safer following two very severe winters.”

The major benefits of the N5 Longford scheme include:

· Removing national traffic from the centre of Longford;

· Separating bypassing traffic from local traffic and pedestrians;

· An anticipated reduction in accidents in the order of 13%;

· An estimated journey time saving of eight minutes on average, and a minimum of 3 minutes for bypassing traffic.

Minister Varadkar added that:

‘Removing national traffic from the centre of Longford will free up access to business, resulting in an improved quality of life for residents, traders and the public in general.  This new road will provide a brand-new link between the N4 at Moneylagan and the N5 National Route at Ballyminion. At present, there are no junctions between the N4 and the N5 roundabouts, so this new road will speed up travel times for those who live locally and those who are passing through Longford. The €26 million budget for the N5 Scheme includes all costs associated with the project, including the design costs of the land acquisition’.

“In the week that the RSA launched the UN Decade for Action on Road Safety, it’s important to note that this new road is expected to reduce accidents by a massive 13%.”

National Roads Authority Chairman Peter Malone said: ‘Once completed in 18 months, the N5 Longford Bypass will bring significant benefits to the businesses and residents of Longford town by removing unnecessary traffic and allowing for local tourism offerings to flourish’.