Athlone's Church Street rejuvenation project likely to start in 2017

A MAJOR rejuvenation of Athlone’s Church Street will involve a “very long period of consultation”, the town’s district manager has said.
The green light for the project was given last week after funding to the tune of €1.5 million was granted by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) - which will be matched by the local authority.
The scope of the project will take in the area between Custume Place to the junction with Griffith Street and a section of the adjoining Civic Square.
However, no decision has been taken on the controversial issue of the traffic flow through the centre of the town.
Pat Keating told the Westmeath Independent that a number of elements are currently being worked on, in advance of the likely commencement of the project in Spring 2017, with a view to completion later in that calendar year.
This includes collecting information on traffic control, a trip to Kilkenny where a similar project took place and ongoing consultation with stakeholders in the area.
“We are working with the Living Environment group. We have established good contacts there and we are gathering data on traffic control,” said Mr Keating.
He said that realistically “it might be next year before we break ground”.
The trip to Kilkenny - by council officials and councillors, later this week - will be, he said, geared towards ensuring the best possible design is deployed in Athlone. One of the priorities will be “to attract investment to Athlone”. He said: “It is a huge investment for Athlone. We have to do it right.”
Westmeath County Council has invited tenders from interested parties to become the design team for the project.
According to the council’s advertisement, “The provision of an attractive environment also encourages tourists and locals to spend longer periods of time in the area, thus contributing to and encouraging economic growth of the town centre.”
Mr Keating said this process will take some time. 2016, he said, should include the finalisation of a detailed plan, the appointment of a contractor and the completion of consultation.
The traffic flow, to facilitate the enhancement of Church Street, has yet to be finalised.
Initially, the possibility of routing traffic down Griffith Street, The Strand and Custume Place and back onto Athlone bridge was being considered.This was met with local opposition and was shelved. A number of other options are being considered.
The design team will be required to review existing design documentation and prepare a detailed report for the project, to include detailed street layouts aimed at promoting a sense of place, inclusive movement and traffic calming.
It will also include a road safety audit, to include the width of the various elements; the location, type and configuration of crossings and junctions; street furniture and planting and signage.