Building to begin on second Mullingar bypass

The Minister for Transport, Mr Cullen, will turn the first sod on the building of a second bypass at Mullingar, Co Westmeath, this morning.

The five-kilometre bypass will provide a route around the congested midlands town for traffic on the N52 between Dundalk to the north-east and Nenagh to the south -west.

Traffic between Dublin and the north-west already bypasses Mullingar to the north of the town on the N4.

The new bypass is one of four major road schemes in Co Westmeath, which have a combined value of almost €1 billion.

They include the Kinnegad, Enfield, Kilcock motorway; the Kinnegad to McNead's Bridge realignment on the N4; the motorway between Kinnegad and Athlone; and the second bypass of Mullingar.

The new bypass is expected to be completed by July 2006.

The project will involve the construction of 4.9 kilometres of single carriageway, four roundabouts, one railway crossing and one canal crossing. It is estimated to cost € 20 million, and will relieve traffic congestion in the town centre, which is currently averaging over 9,000 vehicles a day.

Mr Cullen said the investment in the roads network - running at €150 million per month - would allow the region to prosper, ensuring that goods could get to market more efficiently and so provide and protect jobs.

The Minister said the "gains contribute to a better quality of life" and he added the State's investment was not just aimed at "delivering shorter, safer and superior road journeys. It is equally about adding personal advantages to people's lives."

The chairman of the National Roads Authority, Mr Peter Malone, said Mullingar had already substantially benefited from the N4 bypass on the Dublin/Sligo route, which opened in 1994.

"However, the town still experiences high traffic volumes, particularly traffic using the N52. The new bypass will complement the N4 scheme."