The winning contractor, a joint venture of Wills Brothers and BAM, joined representatives from Mayo County Council, Transport Infrastructure Ireland and Roughan & O’Donovan to sign the contracts for the N5 Westport to Turlough Road project.
The scheme, which has an overall cost of €241m (£208m), involves the construction of 20.3km of dual carriageway from Westport to Turlough. The route stretches from Deerpark East in Westport to the village of Ballyneggin, near Turlough, Castlebar. In addition, the team will build 2.5km single carriageway link to the N59 Westport to Mulranny national secondary road.
Mayo County Council councillor Brendan Mulroy said: “I am delighted as Cathaoirleach to witness the contracts signing on this project, a substantial investment in Mayo’s road infrastructure. The N5 upgrade project will see a major improvement for road users and ensure traffic flows safely and freely. The projects will improve Mayo’s accessibility for business and enhance the visitor experience.”
Mayo County Council chief executive Peter Hynes said: “It is heartening to see the project move to contract signing stage after many years of work by multiple stakeholders. This is the biggest single infrastructural investment ever undertaken in Mayo and will completely transform the landscape of this County. When completed the road will link Castlebar and Westport into a single cluster which will be on a par with growth centres identified in the current National Planning Framework. This Cluster will encourage investment into the County and bring Economic Development benefits for all of Mayo. Today’s signing is a step towards the Westport Castlebar cluster becoming a reality.”
It is envisaged that preparatory site works on the route will begin in the coming weeks with the overall project estimated to take up to 24 months.
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