Controversial Athlone link road 'will take a year' to construct

The Railway Field Road project in the centre of Athlone - which has been blighted by interminable delays over decades - will be 380 metres long and will take "approximately 12 months" to construct.

That's according to planning documents for the project, which were lodged with An Coimisiún Pleanála (formerly An Bord Pleanála) recently.

If given the go-ahead, the new link road will "provide a more direct route between the Coosan Point Road and Crescent/St Francis Terrace junctions," according to a planning report submitted on behalf of Westmeath County Council by PUNCH/CST Group Consulting Engineers.

The planning documents for the development went on public display in Westmeath County Council's offices, and on its website, on Friday last, July 11. Submissions or observations on the planning bid can be made until August 29.

An Coimisiún Pleanála's decision on the application for the road is not expected until January 12, 2026.

The planning application indicated that the origins of the proposed Railway Field Road - formally known as 'Athlone Link Road - Phase 2' - date back all of 27 years.

A brief outline of the project's turbulent history stated: "In 1998 a Traffic Management Plan for Athlone was prepared. Part of the plan was to make Church St (the main street in Athlone) one-way westbound.

"As a result, diverted traffic would have to travel north along Northgate Street to go east along Station Road. To shorten the diversion, and ease traffic congestion at the junctions at either end of Station Road, a new link road was proposed as part of the plan.

"The link road would have the further benefit of removing passing traffic from the railway/bus station."

The first phase of the proposed link road was completed in 2007 and involved new traffic signal junctions at St Francis Terrace and the Crescent junction.

An aspect of the Railway Field Road project which may not be widely known is that the arrival of the new link road would then see the western stretch of the Southern Station Road - from the Coosan Point Road junction to the train station - being reclassified for bus use only.

Access to Athlone's bus and train station after the new road opened would be "via a re-configured signalised junction with the new link road and St Francis Terrace at the eastern end of Station Road."

The western end of Station Road, which intersects with Coosan Point Road, would then "become a bus-only route and will ensure buses which are on an orbital bus route do not have to perform a U-turn on Station Road," the planning documents stated.

The plans describe the new road itself as "an Active Travel Link Road with segregated cycling facility joining the Crescent junction (R915) to Coosan Point Road/Southern Station Road junction."

The project would also include "a new two-way segregated cycle facility on Southern Station Road (west side) and a three-metre width shared surface from the Crescent junction linking to the Athlone Train/Bus Station."

The council and CIE were at odds over the proposed development for many years, which was one of the factors behind previous delays, but the impasse was eventually resolved and bus parking facilities at the Bus Eireann depot, opposite the bus and rail station, are now due to be extended as part of the project.

"Alterations to the alignment of the existing foul sewer that currently is within the area of the future bus parking," would form another aspect of the proposed works.

An indicative timeframe for the construction project states that it would take "approximately 12 months from the date of commencement," based on a comparison with other similar developments.

"It is envisaged the works will be undertaken in two consecutive but separate projects," according to a planning report.

"The link road will be constructed initially and immediately followed by CIE bus parking. It is also envisaged that a single contractor will be appointed for both elements of the project."

An Environmental Impact Assessment Screening Report on the project concluded that "no significant environmental impacts are likely to occur" as a result of it.