ROD-AECOM has been awarded the N61 Ballymurray to Knockcroghery road project.
This section of the N61 is approx. 7.5km long and extends from Newtown townland south of Roscommon town to Galey townland south of Knockcroghery village.
ROD-AECOM will take the project from feasibility through to statutory consent, in compliance with Transport Infrastructure Ireland’s PMG, PAG, CMM and CAF requirements.
Background
The N61 is a vital arterial route linking Athlone and the M6 Dublin-Galway motorway to the N5 and N4 national primary routes, and onwards to the major urban centres of Castlebar, Westport and Sligo.
The N61 from Roscommon to Knockcroghery was identified as a priority one scheme in need of attention in the National Secondary Road Needs Study in 2011.
This project will upgrade the route between Ballymurray and Knockcroghery, where the existing road is substandard in terms of horizontal and vertical alignment, cross-section, sightlines and the high number of junctions and accesses.
Challenges
The study area contains a number of constraints, including the:
- Dublin-Westport railway, which traverses the centre of the study area and crosses the N61 in two locations with at-grade level crossings
- Lough Ree Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Area (SPA) to the east of the existing N61
A successful team
ROD-AECOM has been working with the Roscommon National Roads Regional Office (NRRO) for the past four years on the N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge Road project. The scheme, which provides for the upgrade of the N5 national primary route between Ballaghaderreen and Scramoge in Co. Roscommon, was recently approved by An Bord Pleanála.
According to ROD’s Barry Corrigan, the Ballymurray to Knockcroghery scheme ‘provides a welcome opportunity for ROD-AECOM to continue our association with the project team in Roscommon NRRO and build on the success of the N5 project.’
