'Boxer' Moran calls for plan to develop new Athlone road bridge over ...

Local councillor and Dáil hopeful Kevin 'Boxer' Moran has called for a feasibility study to be drawn up on a new road bridge across the Shannon, to the south of Athlone town.

He said that traffic was "killing" Athlone at present, and that new road development, including a river crossing, could be part of the solution.

"It's 33 years since the opening of the Athlone Relief Road, better known as the bypass. In those 33 years, Athlone has changed, and the population has grown considerably," said 'Boxer'.

"What I want now is for the council to go to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and look for funding to carry out a feasibility study on a new bridge south of Athlone."

He pointed out that there had previously been discussion about developing a new road, known as the Loughandunning road, from the Creggan area to Golden Island, but this never happened.

"Now is the time to revisit that road and, most of all, connect that road with the west side," he said. "I think it would do wonders for traffic and do wonders for the development of the town."

'Boxer' acknowledged that developing what would be the third traffic crossing over the river in Athlone would be a long-term process, but said the first step was coming up with a plan for it.

"It won't be built in a day, but if you have a plan you can go and beat on the relevant Minister's door, to make sure that money and investment comes into it."

And he feels that such investment could be available to Athlone because of its designation as a "growth centre" for the Midlands region in the Government's Project 2040 National Planning Framework.

"There was only two towns in the 2040 plan, and Athlone was one of them. I know because I put Athlone into it when I was Minister," he said.

"Once the Athlone Main Drainage Scheme is finished, it will future-proof Athlone going forward, in terms of development.

"We are in the 2040 plan (as a growth centre) together with Sligo, but Athlone will grow faster because the infrastructure, particularly for wastewater and water, will now be in place."

Discussing the growth of the town, he pointed to plans from IDA Ireland for a second Athlone business park on the Ballymahon Road, in addition to the existing business park on the Dublin Road. He also felt the national Dublin-Galway greenway through Athlone would bring in more investment.

"I've been speaking to not one but two different groups that are looking at Athlone for hotels. Traffic is killing us at the moment, but (council officials) are working on that, and we have to get that right."

The general location that the Independent councillor has in mind for the potential bridge crossing is in the vicinity of the council recycling depot at Golden Island.

He acknowledged that the quality of the land at that crossing point, particularly on the west side, was not ideal but said it was an issue which could be overcome.

"Some people will say, 'he's talking nonsense, he wants to try and build on swamp land', but there is always an engineering solution. I know that from my time in the Office of Public Works, when we had to build roads and flood defences in flood plains," said 'Boxer'.

"The engineers will identify the appropriate area but we, as public representatives, have to lead from the front.

"(Athlone has) the largest population in the Midlands, and we need roads. I remember when the Joe Dolan road was built in Mullingar, it was built on bad, boggy, land, but it was built. I believe this can be the same.

"The bypass in Athlone was built on swampy, bad land as well, but it was still a success."

He felt that this was a good time to move on such a project in order to facilitate the town's further development.

"There's 1,100 houses granted planning permission in Athlone. If the builders came out and built them today, it would deal with an awful lot of our housing crisis, but it would bring an awful lot of extra people into the town.

"I think now we have to plan for the future, and look at things like bus corridors or even something like an 'indicative line' if a Luas was to be developed at some point in the future.

"We are in the 2040 plan. I believe that there is money there to be drawn down, as part of that, and now is the time to move on it because the infrastructure in Athlone is bursting at the seams.

"I definitely think now is the time to be looking at a bridge. Let's go to the TII and get the money for a feasibility study, and once that plan is in place, off we go," he concluded.