LEO AND SHANE IN TOWN
WORK ON LONG AWAITED N4 ROAD SET TO BEGIN IMMEDIATELY AFTER LEO TURNS THE FIRST SOD
Those who lost their lives on what has been described as the most dangerous stretch of roadway in Ireland were remembered by An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar when he turned the first sod on the €150m road widening project from Collooney to Castlebaldwin last Friday.
Speaking to The Sligo Champion after the official sod turning for the scheme which is due to start imminently, the Taoiseach admitted that during his tenure as Minister for Transport the Government simply did not have the money to build the road.
Transport Minister between 2011 and 2014, the Taoiseach said he was familiar with the road and the crosses that line it, signifying those lives lost on it.
“I met a lot of delegations that wanted that road built and we just didn’t have the money at the time.
“The country was in a very bad state economically, we were cutting back on budgets but I did make sure the money was there to go ahead with the planning and design and the land purchase that was needed.”
Asked in relation to the project coming too late for those who lost loved ones on the road, the Taoiseach admitted that the start of the project would not bring those road victims back.
“I know that road well. I’ve seen the white crosses many a time and I know a lot of people were injured on that road and lost their lives.
“Nothing we are doing today will bring any of those people back but at least it will mean we’ ll have a much safer road in the future.”
The projected timeline for completion of the road is approximately two and a half to three years.
“Once it’s done it’ ll be a big improvement in terms of road safety.”
Adding to the safety aspect of the scheme, Mr Varadkar described it as important for the future development of Sligo and surrounding areas.
“Infrastructure brings jobs, and brings investment and it’s going to help to continue to promote the area for people to study, a place for people to invest in and create employment.”
Fianna Fáil Deputy Marc MacSharry acknowledged the legacy work done on bringing the scheme to ‘shovel ready’ stage and especially acknowledged the work done by the N4 group for applyling pressure to politicians.
“The beginnings of the N4 go all the way back to 1979 that’s literally how long it has taken. Today is for those who worked so hard over the years.”
The Deputy continued, “The sum of the parts are to be celebrated today. There are politicians going back to the 1960s who have their fingerprints on this, engineers, and county managers and council workers who should be rightly acknowledged today.”
He added, “I’m lucky to be here today to see it happen, but really the engine room that made it happen was an engine of many many parts over the last 25 years.”
Among those who worked on the project was former Senior Engineer Seamus Concannon. Mr Concannon (below, right) worked on the N4 project before his retirement from Sligo County Council in 2007.
Asked what seeing the sod being turned meant to the former engineer, Mr Concannon said, ‘It gives me a lot of satisfaction’.
“I was involved in the project for five years. I didn’t think it would take this long. I’m delighted to see it finally. It means a lot. It was very badly needed particularly from a safety point of view.”
Speaking to The Sligo Champion about the commencement of the project, Bernard Mulhern of the N4 Action Group said it ‘means everything’ to the group and to those who lost loved ones on the road.
“The road was notorious. It was a mail coach road for mail coaches, it wasn’t wide enough, too many dips, too many bends, excessive speed.
“It’s not going to take away the hurt to those who lost their loved ones over the decades and we were very aware of that here today but I do think it’s very important for our future generations to have a road that’s fit for purpose.”
Sligo Chamber CEO Aidan Doyle said it was a truly a remarkable day for Sligo.
“We have been lobbying steadily to enable the blocks be put in place to allow Sligo grow and develop, working collaboratively with our partners in industry, the IDA , IT Sligo, the local authority, the Northern and Western Regional Assembly, the Western
Development Commission and the Atlantic Economic Corridor.
“This is a vote of confidence in the region and a testimony to the hard work of all in promoting Sligo, including the team at Sligo Chamber. Today (Friday) saw the years of hard work and commitment delivered on the infrastructure front with the turning of the sod by the Taoiseach on both the €120 million N4 Castlebaldwin to Collooney road and the Western Distributor Road which will open up IDA lands at Oakfield for development.
“We also welcome the creation of over 200 jobs by GW Plastics at a new facility in the IDA Business Park, Finisklin. Since the launch of the National Development Plan in Sligo in February last year and the designation of Sligo as a Growth Centre, the Government has really helped put Sligo on the map in terms of attracting business interest. The GW Plastics announcement brings the total of new jobs announced since the launch of the National Development Plan to over 1,700 jobs for the region, 1,400 of which are in Sligo,” added Mr Doyle.