ronan fagan
RPS Consulting Engineers, who have liaised with Westmeath County Council pertaining to the provision of engineering, planning, environmental and other services on the Dublin to Galway greenway have notified the local authority of their intention to withdraw from the project.
Such confirmation will be deemed a setback to the greenway project, at the heart of which is the new pedestrian and cycleway bridge which was officially opened to much acclaim in Athlone last month.
Speaking to the Athlone Advertiser on Tuesday afternoon a spokesperson for Westmeath County Council, confirmed the decision taken by RPS Consulting Engineers noting that the greenway project is no longer “financially viable” for the company.
“RPS Consulting Engineers were appointed to provide engineering, planning, environmental and other services on the cycleway, which forms part of the strategic Dublin Galway route in October 2019.
“Work has been ongoing since then and the Emerging Preferred Route has been identified and published. Work has also been undertaken on various other elements of the project, which will culminate in the submission of a planning application to An Bord Pleanála.
“However, due to the complexity and scale of the 200km Preferred Route together with upward market pressures in recent years, RPS have advised Westmeath County Council that the project is no longer financially viable for the company, having regard to the fixed price tender sum for the contract as signed in 2019 and have sought mutual termination under the contract with immediate effect.
“To minimise any delay on the project and in particular the completion of the design and environmental evaluation phase of the scheme, the parties have agreed to now enter into a process to deal with the issues to hand.
“As a result of this development, Westmeath County Council as the lead authority, on behalf of the participating local authorities and TII, is exploring various approaches to identify the most appropriate and effective mechanism for progressing and delivering the scheme through the design and environmental evaluation processes,” the spokesperson stated.
Westmeath County Council has confirmed to the Athlone Advertiser that the landowner liaison presently ongoing with regard to the next phase of the greenway development will not be impacted by this process.
Pedestrian and Cycleway Bridge Enhancing Landscape
The new pedestrian and cycleway bridge, a source of much attraction for residents and visitors alike, has further enhanced the landscape of Athlone and completes a 108 kilometre stretch of greenway from Maynooth to Athlone Castle, forming an integral part of the intended 300 kilometre coast to coast amenity from Dublin to Galway.
Traversing the River Shannon from the Radisson Blu Hotel to the Luan Gallery, the pedestrian and cycleway bridge, the centrepoint of which features an inlaid bronze plate highlighting its significance as a crossing point from east to west at the heart of Athlone, is the fourth such structure to cross the River Shannon and is the first to be constructed since the relief road bridge opened to traffic over 30 years ago in March 1991.
