WATCH: New traffic lights in Laois at very busy Portlaoise junction but roundabout scrapped
Months long Laois County Council work linked to River Triogue walkway
The workings of a new road layout for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists is emerging on one of the busiest junctions in the heart of Portlaoise.
Contractors working on behalf of Laois County Council began construction of footpath and cycle lane improvement works on the Triogue Way along James Fintan Lalor Avenue / N80 in early February 2026.
Now, some months later in early May, the reality of the final road design has begun to emerge. Three significant changes at the Portlaoise junction will become a reality for local commuters once the work is completed.
Firstly, the Council is installing a pedestrian traffic light on James Fintan Lalor Avenue approaching the intersection of the N80 route with Bridge St and the Stradbally Rd junction. It replaces a zebra crossing. Workers were installing the lights on May 6.
The changed crossing is being installed to facilitate the multi-million euro River Trigoue Way, which traverses the town and has been developed in phases. The addition of traffic lights brings the number of pedestrian crossings with traffic lights on JFL to four.
Pictured: Triogue Way route in Green.
A second element appears to be a rare occurrence in the development of roads in the Laois County Town. The local authority has engineered the removal of a roundabout, albeit of the smaller variety, at the Bridge St / JFL junction.
In tandem with this change, Bridge St, which is a continuation of Main St, has been narrowed to one lane at the revised junction. However, all four lanes on JFL Avenue will be retained under the revisions.
Laois County Council says the Triogue Way provides a direct walking and cycling route through the town. It begins a the Southern Circular Road at the Southern Circular Road beside Educate Together, Maryborough and the Gaelscoil primary schools, traverses the People's Park, JFL, to the rear of the former Convent building, and on via Smiths Field / Triogue Linear Park.
The Council says this project is in keeping with Portlaoise’s designation as a Low Carbon Town as it supports more sustainable travel patterns throughout Portlaoise.
While a roundabout is being decommissioned in one part of town, work is advancing on a new roundabout on the Dublin Road at Rath Rua estate opposite Portlaoise hospital. An existing roundabout is also being upgraded at the junction of Colliers Lane and the Dublin Road where the Downey family is building a multi-million euro new service station.