The project was given the green light 5 years ago.
According to The Irish Times, the last link of a cycleway between Dublin and Galway has been lifted into place in Athlone. The €13 million project has seen the bridge, designed by Sean Harrington Architects and Roughan and O’Donovan Engineers, go over the River Shannon.
The goal is to have the cycleway between Galway and Dublin available for use by the next tourist season. Alongside the cycleway there will also be a boardwalk. The Irish Times writes:
“Once opened, it will allow cyclists to take a dedicated route north along the west bank of the river before joining up with the old Athlone-Ballinasloe (N6) road which features a bollarded-off route all the way to Galway.”
Minister of State for Transport Hildegard Naughton is expected to open the bridge in October.
According to The Irish Times:
“The bridge stretches from outside the Radisson Hotel to the Luan Gallery on the west side of the Shannon, and allows for the extension of the cycleway, which now runs from Spencer Dock in Dublin along the Royal Canal to Mullingar where it joins a 42km greenway along the old Mullingar-Athlone train line.”
The cycleway between Galway and Dublin will further promote cycling between member states, a goal of the EU’s EuroVelo 2 Project. Both the EU and Transport Infrastructure Ireland co-funded the project.
Header image via Shutterstock
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