Work to commence on congestion relief project for the N4 Dromod & Roosky - Pat the Cope Gallagher turns the sod

Date: 30 June 2006

Today, (Friday, 30th June 2006), Minister of State for Transport, Pat the Cope Gallagher, T.D., will announce the commencement of work on the Dromod and Roosky Bypass project. This Bypass along the existing N4 will extend from the eastern end of the Drumsna Bypass to the Western side of the Longford town Bypass.

The construction of this 10kms project will remove two notorious bottlenecks on the N4 key route to the west. An area of huge tourist attraction and potential, the Bypass will give the two villages and their environs back to their people and make them more accessible and appealing to visitors.

On this latest Transport 21 project, Minister Gallagher says: "The route selection report for the entire Drumsna to Longford road improvement scheme is now finalised with a route corridor selected and the preferred route for the Newtownforbes Bypass has been identified. The Dromod Roosky sod turning is the first step in advancing this entire scheme to fruition. The new Bypass will take traffic volumes of up to 6,000 vehicles per day currently going through the villages of Dromod and Roosky. Work on the Bypass will commence immediately and is due to be completed in 2008."

The N4 has benefited from major investment in recent years. Projects completed along this route include the Sligo Inner Relief Road, the Sligo/Colloney road, Curlews Bypass, Longford and Mullingar Bypasses and the Mullingar to Rathowen section. The Minister says that with the opening of the M4 Kilcock to Kinnegad project and the completion of the N4 McNeads Bridge project late last year, it is now possible to travel on continuous motorway or high quality dual carriageway from Dublin to west of Mullingar a distance of 74kms. "These major improvements together with the opening of the Edgeworthstown Bypass and the construction of Dromod Roosky project will bring a huge improvement on the N4 generally and will make the journey north-west much easier for thousands of motorists", says the Minister.

Mr. Peter Malone, Chairman of the National Roads Authority says: "The N4, which is the main route used by drivers travelling East, Northeast and West and is undergoing a major facelift and the route, now boasts over 80kms of continuous motorway or equivalent from Dublin to northwest of Mullingar and west of Kinnegad. A major bottleneck on the route was eliminated with the opening of the Edgeworthstown Bypass two weeks ago and today sees work start on the Dromod/Roosky scheme in Leitrim, which is part of the larger Longford/Drumsna N4 Corridor. The National Roads Authority remains committed to delivering balanced regional road development and in the Border, Midland and Western (BMW) Region. This year alone the NRA has either started or is completing over 214kms of new roadway in the BMW region."

ENDS