Tánaiste rules out regrading of N61 as national primary route

The Tánaiste, Simon Harris, has ruled out reclassifying the N61 road as a national primary route, despite calls from Roscommon County Council, which has highlighted its strategic importance for regional development, road safety and connectivity in the west and north-west.

Raising the issue in the Dáil, Deputy Martin Daly asked whether the Government would reconsider upgrading the N61, which links Athlone to Boyle and onward to Sligo, given its role in connecting two designated growth centres and serving Athlone as the industrial base of County Roscommon.

He argued that reclassification would support balanced regional development, inward investment and improved road safety. Deputy Daly said traffic volumes on the N61, particularly between Athlone and Roscommon town, had increased significantly, creating safety concerns and congestion in towns and villages such as Knockcroghery, Kiltoom, Roscommon town, and Boyle.

He also pointed to poor public transport provision and an infrastructure deficit in Roscommon and east Galway, noting that the region ranks poorly in European Commission infrastructure indices.

The Deputy said Roscommon County Council had included the N61 in its county development plans for more than two decades and had made a submission to Government in 2024 seeking reclassification, which was rejected.

He questioned the validity of the reasons given at the time and said the route was vital for interconnectivity between east–west national routes and growth centres in the west.

In response, the Tánaiste said the Government remained committed to improving regional connectivity and pointed to progress on major road projects, including the N5 upgrade. He said the recently published transport sectoral investment plan marked a renewed commitment to road building alongside significant investment

However, Mr Harris said the Department of Transport and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) had previously examined the status of the N61 and concluded it performs the function of a national secondary road and does not meet the criteria for reclassification.

He explained that national primary roads are long-distance routes linking principal cities, ports or airports, while national secondary roads connect principal towns and link primary routes.

“The N61 is of technical medium length and functions as a connector between principal towns and existing national primary routes, including the N6, N5 and N4,” he said, adding that authorities believe it is correctly classified.

The Tánaiste acknowledged the importance of the N61 to people in Roscommon and confirmed that funding had been allocated this year for road safety improvements along the route in Boyle, Castlerea and Strokestown, as well as for junction upgrades.

He also highlighted ongoing progress on the N5 project, which intersects with the N61 and is due for completion in 2027. In a follow-up contribution, Deputy Daly reiterated concerns about heavy traffic volumes, reduced speed limits through villages, and growing congestion in Roscommon town and Boyle, describing the situation as unprecedented for the county.

Mr Harris said the Deputy had rightly highlighted serious safety and congestion challenges and stressed that road investment should be viewed as a safety measure.

“I am struck by how every morning, including today, we wake up, look at our newspapers and news bulletins and see more fatalities and tragedies on Irish roads," he said.

“We think today of all of those people. Investing in roads should always be seen as a safety issue, as well as the congestion issues that arise, as outlined by the Deputy, in towns, including the pinch points in Roscommon town and Boyle.” He concluded that he would ask the Minister for Transport, Darragh O’Brien, and TII to engage with Deputy Daly, other local Oireachtas members and Roscommon County Council to explore what further improvements could be made to the N61 and the wider regional road network.