Following the recent announcement of Cabinet approval for the construction of the N5 Westport to Turlough Road, contract signing for the development took place at the offices of Mayo County Council, Áras an Chontae earlier this week.
The development, at an overall cost of €241 million, involves the construction of 20.3km of dual carriageway from Westport to Turlough. The route stretches from Deerpark East in Westport to the village of Ballyneggin, near Turlough, Castlebar, in addition to a 2.5km single carriageway link to the N59 Westport to Mulranny national secondary road.
Winning Contractors, Wills Bam, together with representatives from Mayo County Council, Transport Infrastructure Ireland and Roughan & O’Donovan, have moved the project along with the signing of contracts on this most significant project for the West of Ireland.
Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Cllr Brendan Mulroy acknowledged the significance of the signing, saying: "I am delighted as Cathaoirleach to witness the contracts signing on this project, a substantial investment in Mayo’s road infrastructure. The N5 upgrade project will see a major improvement for road users and ensure traffic flows safely and freely. The projects will improve Mayo’s accessibility for business and enhance the visitor experience.”
Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring, welcomed the progress on the project, saying: "I am delighted to welcome this massive investment into County Mayo and the West and it’s great to see a Mayo-led consortium win the contract. On a strategic level, the construction of the road will encourage investment and support employment in the county and will greatly enhance connectivity. This project will boost job creation in the region for the next three years.”
Speaking at the contract signing, chief executive of Mayo County Council, Peter Hynes, stated: "It is heartening to see the project move to contract-signing stage after many years of work by multiple stakeholders. This is the biggest single infrastructural investment ever undertaken in Mayo and will completely transform the landscape of this county.
"When completed the road will link Castlebar and Westport into a single cluster which will be on a par with growth centers identified in the current National Planning Framework. This Cluster will encourage investment into the County and bring economic development benefits for all of Mayo. Today’s signing is a step towards the Westport-Castlebar cluster becoming a reality."
It is envisaged that preparatory site works on the route will begin in the coming weeks with the overall project estimated to take up to 24 months.
