Clare County Council has confirmed that construction work on two transport infrastructure projects in Ennis will commence in the coming days.
Work is set to get underway on Route 2 (Contract 1) of the Ennis Active Travel Town scheme, which will deliver improved facilities for pedestrians and cyclists throughout Ennis.
The project will provide on-road cycle lanes from just north of Clareabbey Roundabout as far as St Flannan’s College Roundabout, as well as advance stop boxes for cyclists at signals and circulating cycle lanes at roundabouts along the R458 (old Galway/Limerick Road through Ennis) and R352 (from Kellys Korner to Maid of Erin via Newbridge Road).
Once completed, the new route will connect to Phase 1 of the West Clare Railway Greenway at Mill Road Ennis, Contract 1 of which was constructed in 2015 and links Woodquay to Active Ennis Sports and Amenity Park, Lees Road. The project timeline is seven to eight weeks.
The construction of a roundabout at the junction of the R352 Tulla Road with Oakleigh Wood and Cappahard will also begin in the coming days.
The roundabout will be 38 metres in diameter and will feature a circulating lane for cyclists. The construction project will include some realignment of Cappahard Road as well as drainage works, signing and lining.
Two new zebra crossings also will be provided on the Tulla Road, one at each side of the roundabout, with uncontrolled crossings on the other two arms.
Clare County Council says the completed roundabout will facilitate vehicular access in and out of Cappahard and Oakleigh Wood residential areas adjacent to the R352 Tulla Road. The project timeline is 11 weeks.
Traffic restrictions relating to both construction projects will be published on www.clarecoco.ie.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.