Plans for active travel changes to two major routes revealed

Plans for the next two phases of the Athlone Active Travel scheme were presented for public viewing at an information session in Athlone Civic Centre on Thursday last.

Preliminary designs for a route from Garrycastle to the Crescent junction in town, via Cartrontroy, Retreat Road and Grace Park Road (Route E), and a second route from the Ankers Bower roundabout to John Broderick Street in Golden Island, via MacDiarmada Road, (Route B2), were on display for the four-hour public session during which Westmeath County Council engineers were in attendance to discuss the proposals with members of the public.

The Garrycastle to Athlone town centre active travel route is the third of six proposed active travel schemes to progress to public consultation, forming part of the wider Athlone Active Travel Schemes bundle.

Proposed works along the route include the upgrade of existing footpaths from Garrycastle to the Crescent Junction with provision for approximately 2.15kms of new protected cycle track.

This route will feature new pedestrian crossing points and traffic calming measures to reduce vehicle speeds. Opportunities for planting and developing new green areas are also proposed as part of this active travel route.

Route B2 is 0.7km in length. Starting at the Ankers Bower roundabout, it will involve the upgrade of existing footpaths along the route to Sean Costello Street via McDiarmada Road and John Broderick Street.

The proposed works will see the provision of 750 metres of protected cycle track and the inclusion of new pedestrian crossing points. Similar to Route E, traffic calming measures and opportunities for planting and developing new green areas are also proposed as part of works along Route B2.

In both active travel route cases, the roads will remain two-way, bus stops will be upgraded where possible and no trees are anticipated to be removed during the proposed schedule of works.

Pat Nally, Senior Executive Engineer, Westmeath County Council, said the proposed works will offer safer walking and cycling facilities, providing alternative options for road users.

He called on members of the public to "have their say" on both preliminary designs with a closing date of Friday, September 11, due for feedback submissions.

The aim of the public consultation, he said, is to "gather snippets of information" from the public and "maybe tweak both designs" before "starting the formal consultation process as part of the planning stage".

"Within two months and following a further safety audit, we would hope to start the formal planning process which will involve an additional consultation process. The proposed works will then go to the elected members for approval," Mr Nally said.

Should both active travel routes receive approval to proceed, the Senior Executive Engineer, said the "biggest impact" to the public would be at the construction phase of the project.

The active travel routes were initially mooted in 2021. The Senior Executive Engineer said he, and the council's active travel department, looked at "strategic routes" in Athlone where it would be possible to implement alternative ways to travel in an urban setting.

"We looked at potential routes in Athlone where we believed we could make active travel route upgrades. These proposed projects were then bundled together to create a network of active travel routes so that when funding becomes available, we will be shovel ready," Mr Nally stated.

Both active travel routes will be constructed on a "phased process" as the council executive said any attempt to deliver "all schemes at once" would result in "gridlock" throughout Athlone.

Some €85,000 has been allocated towards Route E for 2026 under Westmeath County Council’s Active Travel Allocation.

The Senior Executive Engineer said the National Transport Authority (NTA) will provide funding for the projects when the detailed design phase of both active travel routes have been formalised.

The wider €13 million plan, incorporating six active travel routes, aims to develop 16km of active travel infrastructure across Athlone, with the proposed works designed to improve connections between residential areas, schools, workplaces, local amenities and other key destinations.Feedback on the Route E and Route B2 proposals will be accepted until close of business on Friday, September 11. Comments can be submitted in writing to the Active Travel Section at Athlone Civic Offices or by email to activetravel@westmeathcoco.ie.