Councils to get NRA motorway choice

The preferred route for the Kilbeggan to Athlone section of the new N6/M6 Dublin to Galway road is to be announced at separate meetings of Westmeath and Offaly county councils on Friday, the National Roads Authority (NRA) said yesterday. The NRA's regional planning office in Mullingar is to make presentations to both councils on the preferred choice - one of five options between Kilbeggan and Athlone. The NRA has been lobbied intensively by commercial interests in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, and Tullamore, Co Offaly, on the merits of constructing the motorway - most likely a toll motorway built as a public/private partnership - close to their respective towns.

Making their case for the motorway, the Mullingar Chamber of Commerce said it made good, cost-effective sense to have the N6 and N4 combined as far as Mullingar, before the N4 hives off to Sligo and the N6 continues to Athlone. However, the North Offaly Roads Action Group insists the most southerly route of the options should be chosen.

This passes through north Offaly and would open up access to Tullamore and give rise to balanced regional development, which the group points out is the objective of the National Development Plan. The group argues that without the M6/N6, Offaly would have no national primary road and the county's commercial life - already hit by access problems - would stagnate. A lobby group has already made a presentation to local TD and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen. The Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, who was lobbied as she addressed a recent meeting of the Tullamore Chamber of Commerce, said she was "personally" in favour of what has become known as the Tullamore option.

Spokesman Mr Frank Mulligan told The Irish Times that the most logical route for a new motorway would leave the current M6 at Enfield and pass north of Edenderry and Tullamore before going on to serve Athlone. However, the NRA refused any hints on the chosen route yesterday, stating it had received impressive pitches from both camps.

Spokesman Mr Michael Egan said the prospect of combining the N6 and the N4 as far as Mullingar was a strong argument but the argument in favour of balanced regional development would be in favour of Tullamore. The decision, which will be recommended by the NRA regional planning office in Tullamore, will be considered by both county councils, whose approval is necessary for the compulsory purchase of lands for the motorway. Any amendments that the county councils may make "would have to be acceptable to the NRA," according to Mr Egan.