Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring opened the Kilmeena Road Realignment Scheme last Friday, comprising of 2.6km of single carriageway road and approximately 1km of cycleway, this latest section of improvements along the N59 Westport to Mulranny road was completed by PJ Carey (Contractors ) Ltd.
In 2009 Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII (NRA at that time ) commenced the development of a pilot programme of four projects for the improvement of low volume national secondary roads. The N59 Westport to Mulranny scheme was selected as one of these pilot projects.
Mayo County Council developed an improvement scheme which comprised of upgrading a 25km section of the existing route to a type three single carriageway between Westport and Mulranny.
The proposed road project also included enhancements to the Great Western Greenway by the removal of two at-grade crossings of the cycle route. The overall cost of the scheme is estimated at €55 million.
Minister Ring said: "It is great to see another stretch of the upgraded N59 Westport to Mulranny route now open and a sod turned on another phase. The removal of the notoriously bad bend on the N59 near Rossow will be welcomed by all road users and it has been replaced by what is a beautiful stretch of new road. I look forward to the completion of the project and I believe that it will help bring more tourism and investment from Westport, which is a major tourism hub."
Chief executive of Mayo County Council, Peter Hynes speaking about the project said: "The N59 is a vital transport link which connects a key Mayo tourism hub comprising of Louisburgh, Westport, Newport and Mulranny to the Wild Atlantic Way, a key route and a very popular destination for tourists visiting our county.
"Investing in the N59, is an investment in the safety for both drivers and cyclists, and also an investment in our local community and in our tourism industry. The better our roads infrastructure, the more likely we are to attract jobs and direct investment to County Mayo.”
