Three and a half million euro has been pledged to complete the Great Western Greenway from Westport to Achill.
The Department of Transport and Fáilte Ireland are co-funding the project, which will result in a 42km route which will loop around scenic Clew Bay, mainly along the line of the old Midland Great Western Railway.
The project is the result of Mayo County Council and local landowners working together, and in partnership with other state agencies and bodies, to develop the concept of the walking and cycling greenway and to ensure its delivery. The first phase of the Great Western Greenway, an 18km route from Newport to Mulranny, was opened in April 2010 and it is expected that this route will be completed in early 2011.
County manager Peter Hynes thanked the Department, Fáilte Ireland, the landowners, and other bodies involved in a project which will help to establish Mayo as a premier walking and cycling destination. The Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Councillor Michael Burke, also welcomed this “very worthwhile investment in the tourism infrastructure of the county”.
