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NATIONAL ROAD MAJOR AND MINOR SCHEMES The Sligo National Roads Project Office (Sligo PO) is responsible for the delivery of all Major and Minor National Road improvement and realignment Schemes in County Sligo. The following are the Schemes currently being developed by the Sligo PO, which progressed through 2020.
N4 Collooney to Castlebaldwin Road Development Scheme The N4 National Primary Route is the main Inter-Urban link between Dublin and the North West Region. The N4 Collooney to Castlebaldwin Road Project was included in the Building on Recovery: Infrastructure and Capital Investment Capital Plan 2016-2021, as a key priority in the roads programme which will support economic growth. The Plan identified it as one of the “critical gaps” in our existing infrastructure, which needs to be upgraded. A core priority under Project Ireland 2040 National Planning Framework is the essential requirement to enhance and upgrade accessibility between urban centres of population and their regions, in parallel with the initiation of compact growth of urban centres. This has a crucial role to play in maximising the growth potential of the regional urban centres, one of which is Sligo, and the economy as a whole. 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 ‘Enhanced Regional Accessibility’ of the National Development Plan. The Scheme will provide just under 14km of Type 2 Dual Carriageway, and just under 1km of Single Carriageway on the National Road Network, linking the existing N4 dual carriageway at Collooney to the Curlews By-Pass, just south of Castlebaldwin village. This will complete the upgrade of the N4 to modern standards in County Sligo. The Project will significantly improve the safety of this stretch of road that has seen 30 fatalities over the past 40 years or so. Following the Restricted procurement process for Works Designed by the Contractor, updating of Scheme Business Case and Cabinet approval, the Scheme construction contract was awarded to Roadbridge Ltd. in February 2019. The contract duration is 30 months, giving the initial date for substantial completion of 21st July 2021. Construction continued to Q1 2020, but the site was closed for 7 weeks from 29th March to 18th May 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, following Government Guidelines. Works recommenced on a phased basis following reopening in May 2020, in line with Government and CIF Guidelines, with operations being scaled up as the weeks progressed. Works have progressed steadily throughout the remainder of 2020 and Q1 2021 with the site remaining open during the Level 5 Covid Restrictions announced in early January, in full compliance with HSE Guidelines and Protocols relating to Covid-19.
SLIGO COUNTY COUNCIL ANNUAL REPORT 2020
