Town’s key thoroughfare to be closed for 12 weeks

The main thoroughfare of the town is to be closed for a total of 12 weeks, a special meeting of the Athlone Municipal District heard this afternoon.

The closure is to facilitiate the watermains rehabilitation scheme.

Senior Executive Engineer with Water Services at Westmeath County Council Greg Duggan presented a report to councillors and told them that the street would be closed in sections, and the combined closure would be 12 weeks.

Custume Place to John Broderick Street will be closed for six weeks and then from John Broderick Street to Castlemaine Street will be closed for a further six weeks.

Mayor Frankie Keena called the special meeting and requested a report from the council executive after a number of issues on the watermains rehabilitiation scheme were raised at the first meeting of the new municipal district.

While councillors were unhappy about closing the town’s main street during the tourist season, Mr Duggan said there had been no restriction in the contract about closing the street during the summer months, just a stipulation that it couldn’t be closed in the run up to Christmas.

However, Cllr Aengus O’Rourke pointed out that when the councillors agreed to the contract in February 2013, the work was scheduled to run from August 2013 until May 2014, so June and July weren’t included, and these would be the busiest months for tourists.

See Wednesday’s Westmeath Independent for more.