Date set for Athlone street's permanent traffic closure

A central Athlone street that was once part of the main road route between Dublin and Galway is due to close permanently to traffic in just over a month's time.

In a major change to the long-established traffic flow through the town, the section of Sean Costello Street between Flannery's pub and the former Ulster Bank premises is being pedestrianised. This is part of the ongoing streetscape revamp which is also taking in Mardyke Street, Pump Lane, and part of St Mary's Square.

Traffic on Mardyke Street has been suspended since March in order to allow contractor John Cradock Ltd carry out street redevelopment work.

In a update on the multi-million euro project this week, the council said the traffic closure at Mardyke Street was now being extended until late September - a month longer than originally planned.

"The closure of Mardyke Street has been extended to Friday, September 28," Dermot Killeen of the council's Regeneration Project Team told the Westmeath Independent.

He said the section of Sean Costello Street which is being pedestrianised would "permanently close to traffic" after Mardyke Street reopened to vehicles.

Despite the longer-than-anticipated traffic closure on Mardyke Street, Mr Killeen indicated that the project as a whole was proceeding in line with expectations.

"The council is satisfied with overall progress, especially given the poor weather this summer," he said, adding that it was on track for completion by next March.

He also confirmed that the works would be 'paused' in December in order to minimise their impact on pre-Christmas trade in the affected areas.

"The pre-Christmas pause in works will start in early December, ie. the week commencing Monday, December 4," said Mr Killeen.

The Marist Brothers sculpture that had been in place in St Mary's Square was removed in order to prevent it from being damaged during the project.

It was initially scheduled to be returned to public display by the end of this month, but it now transpires that it will be kept in storage for a longer period.

"Late October or early November" is now the date when the Marist statue is expected to be returned to public display in a slightly different position in St Mary's Square.

The section of Sean Costello Street which is being pedestrianised has, throughout the vast majority of its history, facilitated two-way traffic.

A one-way traffic system was trialled there in 2008 but was abandoned after less than three months amid strong criticism of the system from local traders.

The one-way system in the centre of town was reintroduced - this time permanently - in February 2018 as part of the €4m streetscape revamp at Church Street.

John Cradock Ltd, a Kildare-based civil engineering and building firm, was the main contractor for the Church Street project and was appointed in January to work on the Mardyke Street and Sean Costello Street sections also.