N55 scheme delayed
“Complications” have led to the readvertising of tenders for the N55 realignment scheme around the south Cavan village of Killydoon.
Cavan County Council had originally advertised for interested companies last December but it has been forced to restart the process.
“The tender for the main construction contract was readvertised due to complications that arose during the assessment process for the tender published in December 2021,” the local authority said in a statement.
“Tender documentation was reviewed, and the competition has been re-advertised with a closing date of July 8, 2022. Award of a Contract will be subject to the successful completion of Phase 5 of TII’s Project Management Guidelines, including receipt of the requisite TII approvals and the availability of funding.”
The 3.7km section will see the village of Killydoon bypassed by a new road in the latest phase of upgrades on the busy Cavan to Athlone road.
A value of €16 million has been placed on the project. Construction, once approved, will take two years to complete. Cavan County Council had expected the road to be finished and open to traffic in late 2024.
The new road will run from Corduff to the south of Killydoon village, linking two previously upgraded sections. Five new side roads to link with the old N55 and the realignment of two existing side roads are also included in the plans.
Three new bridges over the River Erne, site clearance, and drainage works are included, along with traffic calming measures for Killydoon village.
The local authority had originally said it expected construction to begin on the project early this year but the restarting of the tender process has now delayed this.
The first two phases of work on the N55 realignment have already been completed with the Ballinagh to Ballytrust section finished in 2018.
Cavan County Council says the latest phase “will offer a safer route for the approximately 5,000 vehicles per day that travel the route and with it bring improved and reliable journey times for motorists, thus improving transport linkages and accessibility to facilities between regional towns of Cavan and Athlone”. “The scheme will also bring improved traffic safety for residents living along the route and notably for the village of Killydoon , hich will be bypassed by the new alignment. The village will also benefit from traffic calming and active travel measures proposed under the Scheme.”