A view of Cloonakilla NS.

Consultants to be hired for Cloonakilla NS road upgrade

Roscommon County Council is to hire consultants to design improvement works on a Bealnamulla road that has been described as one of the most dangerous in the county.

At the December meeting of the Athlone Municipal District in Roscommon, Cllr Tony Ward said there was an urgent need for road resurfacing, footpath installation, and a pedestrian crossing and roundabout outside Cloonakilla NS.

In response, the local authority said it was preparing to engage the services of consultants "to provide a detailed design for the improvement of the R362 between Cloonakilla NS and the council depot."

The local authority said this road design "will take into account foundation, drainage, services, footpaths, public lighting, etc, and will be targeted to maximise road safety for vulnerable road users within the constraints of the budget and lands available to Roscommon County Council."

It said the design of the road upgrade would be presented to councillors under the Part 8 planning process, and a tender would subsequently be prepared for the construction of the works.

The council said it expects that the project to be funded under a specific improvement grant from the Department of Transport.

At a meeting last October, Cllr Laurence Fallon described the road outside Cloonakilla NS as "one of the most dangerous places in South Roscommon, if not the entire county," while Cllr John Naughten said it was "not fit for purpose".

However, the council's director of services for roads, Shane Tiernan, said providing a roundabout at this location "would be a challenge" and would present difficulties from both an environmental and land point of view.

Speaking to the Westmeath Independent this week, Cllr Ward said the road problems at this location were "a saga" that had been going on for more than a decade.

"I know that a substantial amount of money needs to be spent on this, but it is urgent. A roundabout needs to be put in place on the Taughmaconnell road.

"Land has to be acquired there, and the council is making every effort to do that, but I'm saying to the council that a compulsory purchase order will have to be issued."

He also said that the lack of adequate footpath provision meant children from Cloonakilla NS were having to be brought by bus to play at the nearby soccer pitch in Bealnamulla, which is just a few hundred yards away.