Greenlight for Cornamaddy to Garrycastle active travel scheme

Westmeath County Councillors has approved the 2.3km Cornamaddy to Garrycastle Active Travel Scheme, paving the way for a major upgrade of walking and cycling infrastructure along one of the town's busiest transport corridors.

The proposal was approved at Monday's meeting of Westmeath County Council following consideration of a Chief Executive's report and submissions received during the public consultation process.

The scheme will extend from Cornamaddy Roundabout to Wash House Turn Roundabout along the R916 and includes segregated cycle tracks, upgraded footpaths, raised pedestrian crossings, improvements to the Garrycastle and Altown roundabouts, new bus stop layouts and landscaping.

Presenting the proposal, Chief Executive Barry Kehoe described the route as "a very important road into the town" serving significant business and industrial developments while also crossing the N6.

He said the scheme had been designed to provide "the best possible facilities for cyclists, pedestrians and motorists, with the amount of land and infrastructure that is available at the moment."

Mr Kehoe acknowledged that some elements of the design had been constrained by the existing road corridor but said there could be opportunities in the future to improve the route further.

"As the road and the town develop, there may be opportunities to acquire other lands to adjust the facilities on the road," he told members.

The proposal received broad political support.

Cllr Frankie Keena proposed approval of the scheme, describing it as "very welcome news for the area."

He said the project would make the route more user-friendly for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists alike.

The proposal was seconded by Cllr John Dolan, who praised the council's Active Travel team for its work on the project.

The scheme is fully funded, with councillors told that construction timelines would be provided as the project progresses. During the statutory consultation period, five submissions were received, including observations from local residents, the Irish Cycling Campaign and Transport Infrastructure Ireland.

Among the issues raised were concerns about traffic capacity, the design of bus stops near Cornamaddy National School, coordination with the proposed East Athlone Relief Road and whether sections of the route should have been redesigned to provide higher-quality cycling infrastructure.

The Irish Cycling Campaign criticised what it described as a "hodge podge approach" and "mixed standards of design", arguing that parts of the scheme fell short of the National Transport Authority's Cycle Design Manual and that more consistent segregated cycling facilities should have been provided.

The council maintained that the design complies with current guidance and makes the best use of the existing road corridor, while acknowledging that some constrained sections may be reviewed in the future if cycling demand increases.

Following consideration of the submissions, only minor amendments were recommended before approval, including a review of the proposed pedestrian crossing near the Technological University of the Shannon, retention of safety bollards on the N6 pedestrian and cycle overbridge, and standard environmental and utility management conditions during construction.

The approved scheme forms part of Westmeath County Council's wider Active Travel programme, which aims to deliver approximately 15 kilometres of walking and cycling infrastructure across Athlone in support of safer, more sustainable transport.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme