Signing of a contract for the first phase of the Edenderry Inner Relief Road project


Joséphine Lee, staff officer; Ciaran Garry, MD Tower Civil Engineering; Sharon Kennedy, Regional Director Edenderry MD; Councilor Liam Quinn, Caothaoirleach Edenderry MD; Tom Shanahan, Director of Transportation OCC; Anna-Marie Delaney, Executive Director of Offaly County Council; & Mark Mahon, District Engineer, Edenderry MD.

Offaly County Council has signed a contract with Tower Civil Engineering to complete construction of Phase 1 of the Edenderry Inner Relief Road project.

Phase 1 of the Edenderry Inner Relief project will see the construction of a new Clonmullen Link Road connecting to St Conleth’s Road (R401) via Clonmeen Rise. It also includes the realignment of the R401 / Gleann Na Carraige improving access to the west towards Fr. Rue McWey. This link will allow traffic from Dublin Road (R402) to access the north side of Edenderry Town without having to take the busy main street JKL.

Due to the high volume of transit traffic to and from Dublin and the population of almost 8,000 in the second largest city of Offaly, it often takes up to half an hour to cross the city from Edenderry. Edenderry also serves as a school hub for a vast hinterland, exacerbating traffic problems.

Recent traffic counts by Offaly County Council have revealed that around 18,000 vehicles pass through Edenderry on the R402 daily, an extremely high volume exceeding many national roads. Surveys conducted on behalf of Offaly County Council have revealed that traffic is the number one problem for residents of Edenderry. In response, Offaly City Council secured Part 8 planning for the Edenderry Interior Relief Road Project in March 2019.

Cathaoirleach of the Municipal District of Edenderry, Councilor Liam Quinn highlighted Edenderry’s status as the second largest town in Offaly, and its role as a key economic engine in the region and the hinterland within the meaning wide extending into parts of Kildare and Meath counties. Cllr Quinn acknowledged the support and importance given to this project throughout its development by her colleagues in the Municipal District of Edenderry.

Speaking at the signing of the contract, Anna-Marie Delaney General Manager Offaly County Council expressed her thanks for the support of elected officials and the work done by the technical team to move this very important project forward.

Ms. Delaney identified this project as being of strategic importance to Edenderry, and is delighted to see this key objective of the Local Area Plan achieved. Ms Delaney praised the myriad of positive developments at Edenderry in recent years, mentioning library development, public domain projects, improvement of the Grand Canal Greenway and the pipeline of emerging Blundell Masterplan projects.

Ciaran Garry, Managing Director of Tower Civil Engineering, said he is excited to undertake this important project and looks forward to bringing Tower’s experience and skills to this challenging civil engineering project.

Sharon Kennedy, Head of the Municipal District of Edenderry, added that this key piece of infrastructure would be another piece of the puzzle, allowing the thriving town of Edenderry to reach its full potential. MRS. Kennedy added that it would strengthen Edenderry, encourage compact growth, and support zoned land.

Tom Shanahan, Director of Transportation for Offaly County Council, looked forward to the potential advancement of Phase 2 of the Edenderry Inner Relief Road project in the near future. The design was recently completed for Phase 2 which would link Bro. McWey Street, behind Dunnes Shopping Center, to the Eden Business Campus providing a route to Rhode via the R441. Cllr. Quinn noted the impact that completing the entire project would have on access to the school, particularly the new Oakland College, adjacent to the Dunnes Shopping Center.

Mark Mahon took the opportunity to welcome the support of the Ministry of Transport for the funding of around 2.5 million euros for this crucial link. Mark thanked the elected officials and the management team for their support and commitment through the many stages of project development. Mark added that work will continue to move Phase 2 through to construction, and thanked Michael Mullarkey, lead designer for his tireless work.

Mark explained that during the development of the project, a detailed analysis revealed that reducing the traffic on the R402 via Edenderry would bring many economic benefits: improving transport efficiency through reduced journey times, improving the attractiveness of the town of Edenderry as a place of shopping and commerce and improvement of reliable transport in town. Offaly County Council has also actively explored the environmental benefits of reduced traffic, currently working with the EPA and UCC on a cutting-edge project assessing air quality.

Offaly County Council has prioritized the inclusion of quality cycle paths in Edenderry Inner Relief. This will stimulate the development of an expanding cycling network currently planned as part of Active Travel initiatives.

About Mark A. Tomlin

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