Work begins on installing 'rain garden' at busy Athlone junction

Significant changes at the busy roundabout outside St Peter and Paul's church in Athlone - which include the installation of a new grass verge described as a 'rain garden' - are currently being put in place.

The project is currently causing major traffic delays in Athlone town.

Westmeath County Council this week issued notification that a contractor would be carrying out the programme of works at the Market Square/Elliot Road junction for an eight-week period which began yesterday (Thursday, September 3).

"Traffic and pedestrian management will be in place for the duration of the works," said the local authority.

"We regret any inconvenience caused, and we appreciate your cooperation in the course of the works."

The €200,000 project will involve a new pedestrian crossing being put in place between the Luan Gallery and the church. The new crossing will be closer to the roundabout itself than the existing Luan Gallery pedestrian crossing, which is being removed.

There were eyebrows raised in 2023 when the council first revealed that it would be installing a grass verge as "a nature-based solution" on part of the roadway at the corner outside the entrance to St Peter and Paul's church.

"I can only imagine the faces of the people on the west side when they come out on a Monday morning and see half an acre of grass on the road! That will be interesting," Cllr Aengus O'Rourke said when details of the project emerged during a council meeting at the time.

Earlier this year, council officials said funding to the tune of €200,000 had been allocated for the programme of road safety works in the Elliott Road and Market Square areas.

Other measures being introduced as part of the current project include a widening, to two metres, of the existing pedestrian crossing between the church and Athlone Castle, and a lowering of the roundabout "to allow overrunning by large vehicles".

New road markings and new limestone paving at the junction are also planned.

At a previous council meeting, Cllr John Dolan described the current pedestrian crossing at the Luan Gallery as "absolutely deadly" and said he didn't know how it was "ever put in".

The then-acting district manager, Willie Ryan, told the November 2023 meeting that the planned grass verge would serve to "tighten up the radius at the Ss Peter and Paul's Church side" of the turn in the road, and added it was "quite a straightforward project" which had been prompted by concerns about the safety of the pedestrian crossing.