Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane Ross TD has attended the turning of the sod ceremony for the Sligo Western Distributor Road Phase 2 project.
Atkins Ireland said it was delighted to see the realisation of an important major project for Sligo, which is supported by Project Ireland 2040 and backed by the IDA and Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. Atkins has a long-standing involvement in this scheme having provided the consulting engineering expertise since its concept stage through to the current construction stage.
Potential for significant employment and residential development in Sligo
The 2.5km Western Distributor Road will link the N4 Caltragh Interchange to the Ballydoogan area of Sligo enabling the development of zoned lands, specifically the IDA Business Park at Oakfield, and create the potential for significant employment and residential development in Sligo.
The scheme will provide added benefits by reducing congestion in the town centre, reducing travel times for private, commuter and business users, enable environmental improvements in the town centre and provide direct access to community sports and parkland facilities for the south west quadrant of Sligo.
Ursula O’Higgins, technical director, Atkins said: "This is a very important project for Sligo and represents another positive step forward to achieving the objectives identified for Sligo in Ireland 2040 as a regional centre and new gateway.
"Atkins is delighted to be involved in this major project which will serve to promote and enhance sustainable economic growth for the area, improve social integration and the health benefits for all road users by means of alternative modes of travel such as walking and cycling through the inclusion of pedestrian and cyclist facilities.
"Atkins has been involved in major road schemes in Sligo for many years such as the N4 Inner Relief Route and the Western Distributor Road Phase 1 and are well placed to ensure that the Western Distributor Road Phase 2 is delivered successfully given the experience and expertise of our teams based in Dublin, Cork and Galway."
The Western Distributor Road Phase 2 comprises a new 2.5km single carriageway southwest of Sligo commencing at the Ballydoogan Road (WDR Phase 1) and terminating at the N4 Caltragh Interchange.
Incorporates designated cycle tracks, footways and shared-use facilities
The scheme includes a new 23m span bridge over the Dublin-Sligo railway and incorporates designated cycle tracks, footways and shared-use facilities, including new signalised crossings. The scheme will improve access to the existing IDA Business Park at Finisklin and provide access to the proposed new IDA Business Park at Oakfield.
The contract signing took place earlier in the week with SIAC Construction Ltd appointed as contractors for the project which has recently commenced construction and is expected to be completed in Summer 2020.
A number of years ago Atkins completed a traffic and transportation project study for Sligo and this study recommended the implementation of a number of new routes in and around Sligo. These included the Sligo Inner Relief Route and the Western Distributor Route.