Preferred Route: Long awaited Mullingar to Longford N4 upgrade 'gathering momentum'

Almost 15 years after a preferred route option was first identified for the N4 Mullingar to Longford road upgrade plans have been announced for the latest choice.

A statement on the proposal reads: “Westmeath County Council in conjunction with Longford County Council, supported by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), wish to announce to all stakeholders, landowners, members of the public and interested parties the selection of the Preferred Option (PO) for the N4 Mullingar to Longford (Roosky) project.”

If progressed the new road will lie south of Edgeworthstown and north of Longford and join up with the dual carriageway at the Rooskey roundabout.

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This is not the first time a preferred route option has been nominated. Back in 2010 the NRA proposed a road that bypassed Bunbrosna, Ballinalack, Rathowen, Edgeworthstown, Longford and Newtownforbes.

In 2019 as part of Project Ireland 2040 and the National Development Plan the N4 Mullingar to Longford section of the N4 was listed as being “progressed through pre-appraisal and early planning in 2018”.

At one point 12 different route corridors between Ballinagall and Rooskey were in the mix. The latest proposal targets one of the largest unimproved sections of the N4. The 52km section of the road accounts for almost 25% of the entire N4/M4 corridor.

TII says 17,500 vehicles use the road each day. A public consultation process last summer saw over 150 submissions lodged.
The project is now heading into the next phase of planning and design, which will involve the preparation of an Environmental Impact Assessment and engineering reports.

“After a long five years it's certainly gathering momentum now,” Cllr Seamus Butler said of the announcement.

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The Fianna Fáil elected representative and businessperson has campaigned for movement on the infrastructure project for years: “We're having a meeting with TII online today, and we'll get more clarification on it. I'm assured the funding is available for the next stages, and there'll be no hiccups.”

Cllr Butler says there is national recognition of the importance of the project: “It is one of the most vital pieces of infrastructure in the country, it's not just for Longford.”

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The N4 statement comes in the same week that the government announced the allocation of over €10m to upgrade Longford regional and local roads.

Longford County Council have been allocated €10,259,100 for roads and road safety improvements. The largest spend is in the area of restoration improvement at €5,382,000, while discretionary grants will see a spend of €1,311,500.

The largest single project takes place at Ringowney, between Edgeworthstown and Granard, where €130,000 has been allocated under the Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Works.