The Main Contract for the Realignment of the N26 at Cloongullane Bridge has been recently awarded to BAM Civil Ltd., by Mayo County Council.
The project is managed by the Mayo National Roads Office and includes the realignment of 1.8km of the N26 National Primary Road, between Swinford and Foxford.
A key aspect of the project is the construction of a new bridge over the environmentally sensitive River Moy, to replace the existing stone arch bridge and the project will include sections of the road that approach Cloongullane Bridge.
At present, the bridge and its approaches are significantly deficient in terms of geometry, the project will upgrade the road to current design standards and aims to improve the overall safety for road users and to reduce the number of collisions along this section of the N26.
The new bridge comprises a single span of 83.1m over the River Moy and as such, no in-stream works will be required. The bridge is a steel composite beam structure with reinforced concrete abutments. The road development also includes two new culverts over tributaries of the River Moy, local road realignments and accommodation works/farm accesses.
Works are commencing in November 2020 and will be complete by the summer of 2022.
Speaking of the project, Mayo County Council Acting Chief Executive, Peter Duggan, said: "We are delighted to have the works begin on this highly anticipated project.
"We are aware that the people of the locality have had to encounter many years of traffic bottlenecks at Cloongullane Bridge. The project will vastly improve the day-to-day commutes for the people of Swinford, Foxford and surrounding areas."
Cathaoirleach Cllr Richard Finn stated: "I welcome the commencement of works on the N26 Cloongullane Bridge Project, which will include the construction of a new 83 metre bridge over the River Moy.
"This area of Mayo is of great natural beauty with the Moy attracting international fishing tourism to Foxford and Swinford. The update to this vital road will improve connectivity for these areas of North Mayo to the east of the country and beyond."
