Resurfacing of Athlone estate due to begin this week

A resurfacing of the road in Athlone's Sarsfield Square housing estate is due to begin in the coming days, local Minister of State Kevin 'Boxer' Moran has said.

'Boxer' welcomed what he described as a €187,000 resurfacing project, which also includes work to help address longstanding issues with drainage and waterlogging in the area.

He said the project was one he had been campaigning for since he was a councillor, prior to his election to the Dáil in late 2024.

"This is a long time in the making. For more than six years now, the people of Sarsfield Square have been trying to get this area resurfaced, so it's a big day for the residents," said 'Boxer'.

"There's a big community involvement there, and the people of Sarsfield are very passionate about their area."

He said the road surface in the area was currently in poor condition, pointing out that "it's been dug up a number of times by Uisce Éireann, and it's been dug and patched by the local authority" also.

'Boxer' said council staff had been working on the drainage issues at Sarsfield Square in the last couple of weeks, and, weather-permitting, a resurfacing contractor was hoping to start before the end of this week.

"Tarmacadam work is always weather-dependent, but they're hoping to start this week. Doing a job like this is going to cause some inconvenience for people, I understand that," he said, adding it meant there could be some localised diversions or temporary access restrictions in certain areas of the estate.

"We'll just have to work with the contractor, and let them get in and get out. But, at the end of the day, spending €187,000 is a major job," he said.