A €140 million road upgrade to the N4 was officially opened by the taoiseach, Micheál Martin, on Monday, October 18.

Support economic growth

The N4 Collooney to Castlebaldwin Road Scheme was included as part of the Building on Recovery: Infrastructure and Capital Investment Capital Plan 2016-2021, as it was identified as a key priority in the roads programme to support economic growth and one of the critical gaps in the existing infrastructure that needs to be upgraded.

The delivery of the N4 Collooney to Castlebaldwin Scheme is listed as one of the key schemes to be delivered under Strategic Outcome No 2 of the ‘Enhanced Regional Accessibility’ of the National Development Plan (NDP).

This section of the N4 has been an accident black spot for decades, with 31 people losing their lives on the stretch of road.

The public works contract for civil engineering works designed by the contractor for the design and build of the scheme was awarded by Sligo County Council to Roadbridge in January 2019.

The project period was planned to run for 32 months, from January 2019 to July 2021. However, Covid-19 impacted this plan, and the works were extended to be completed in Q4 2021, with Roadbridge delivering the project three months ahead of schedule.

Reduce travel time

One of the largest road infrastructure projects in the country, it will reduce the travel time to and from Sligo, especially for those living and working in Boyle.

The cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council, Cllr Paul Taylor, commended the project team involved in delivering the N4 Collooney to Castlebaldwin dual carriageway.

“Approximately €63.9 million benefits are predicted over the 30-year appraisal period of the new 14km dual carriageway,” said Taylor.

“In addition, safety benefits of €7.4 million are predicted over the same period, as a result of the higher standard of road. This is a major project for our authority and our county and is the first of the key national road projects listed in the National Development Plan to be delivered under Project Ireland 2040.”