Taoiseach to cut ribbon on new Athlone to Ballinasloe motorway

Taoiseach Brian Cowen has confirmed he will travel to the region to open the new €211 million Athlone to Ballinasloe dual carriageway this Thursday. The official ribbon cutting ceremony on the new 19 kilometre stretch will take place at the Suckfield townland, close to Creagh at 11am before a large crowd of local dignitaries, public representatives and Chairman of the National Roads Authority, Peter Malone. Ahead of schedule and on the budget, the road, which begins south east of Ballinasloe at Tulrush continues right up to Monksland, west of Athlone, is the latest part of the important east-west axis to be completed. "This is very significant for the region because we now have motorway right to Ballinasloe," according to Sean O'Neill, spokesperson for the NRA. "We are also well on track to have the next section, 56 kilometres from Ballinasloe to Galway to be completed by the middle of next year." The Athlone to Ballinasloe section of the M6 consists of 19 km of dual carriageway, 4km of realigned local roads and 12 km of accommodation access tracks. 14 new bridges were also built as part of the scheme, a joint venture design build contract by the SIAC Wills companies. It will not officially become a motorway until August 28 next when the legal ministerial motorway designation kicks in, so until then motorists will continue to obey the 100 kilometre an hour speed limit. A Department of Transport statement this week simply states: "Drivers using the existing open sections of the route (Athlone to Ballinasloe) should note, that until August 28 2009, the current speed limit will apply." Construction work began on the remaining piece of the jigsaw, a 51 kilometre stretch from Galway to Ballinasloe began in May 2007 and this is expected to be completed by the middle of next year. This will deliver almost continuous motorway for drivers going from east to west by 2010. A toll will located on the Ballinasloe to the Galway stretch. The Athlone to Ballinasloe project was undertaken by Galway County Council on behalf of Roscommon County Council.