Long awaited bus shelter for busy Portlaoise stop

After many's the long wait in the rain, bus passengers in Laois are getting new bus shelters at selected stops.

Kilminchy on the Dublin Road in Portlaoise is one of several stops in the county getting covered shelters, with two under construction.

The bus stop is one of several where €70,000 was allocated in late 2021 to Laois County Council by the National Transport Authority (NTA), to build the bases for the bus shelters.

The projects were delayed by the NTA after they decided to raise the standard of the stops to make them fully wheelchair accessible. 

Laois County Council had said last February that it hoped to have all the enabling works done by the end of June. 

This week it has confirmed progress in its plans to improve public transport facilities.

Simon Walton is Director of Services for Roads.

"We have provided a bus shelter in Ballybrittas and enabling works for two further bus stops are currently ongoing at Dublin Road.

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"Additionally, two bus stops are due to be provided in Shannon Street, Mountrath.

"Over and above that, there are numerous other bus stops to be rolled out around County Laois in 2024 and beyond, with a view to supporting public transport as an alternative mode of transport," Mr Walton said.

The work at Kilminchy is expected to be completed by October 20, when Stop/Go traffic lights will be removed.