Expect weeks of Laois traffic disruption on Portlaoise's busiest road

Work is underway in Portlaoise on a second new bus stop on the Laois county town's Dublin Road with the job set to last into late April.

Laois County Council has issued a Temporary Traffic Management advisory for the R425 / Dublin Road at Kilminchy to facilitate work on a new bus stop on the inbound side of the busy road.

It says the bus shelter enabling works will be run from March 13 to April 30 from 8 am to 6 pm. 

Apart from being a busy Portlaoise access route, the Dublin Road is also the location of the town's hospitals and large prison complex. Thousands of houses are located off the route and motorists also use it to get to to two of the towns biggest secondary schools.   

The new bus stop will be a second to be delivered on the Dublin Road in the past six months. After some delays, work began in September 2023 on the construction of Kilminchy bus stop on the outbound side of the road.

The bus stop is one of several funded by the National Transport Authority (NTA). The Portlaoise projects were delayed by the NTA after they raised the standard of the stops to be fully wheelchair accessible. The latest bus stop was part of a bundle approved that received funding in early 2023 that also included two in Mountrath and one in Ballybrittas.  MORE BELOW PICTURE.

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Location of works to last to end of April.

Simon Walton, Director of Services, told councillors in October 2023 outlined the cost.

"The combined costs of the civil works, for these five stops, is €220,000. The shelters are provided separately, directly by National Transport Authority, delivered to the site and dropped into position," he said.

In a written reply to councillors he said the Council would pursue further opportunities with NTA to expand the roll-out of bus shelters across Laois. More below picture.

"I am confident that additional funds will emerge to support this," he said.

Funding was subsequently secured in early 2024 when €500,000 was allocated to the Council for bus stop enhancement works via the NTA Active Travel Programme. 

Mr Walton confirmed to the Leinster Express / Laois Live that the list is being developed in consultation with Local Link (bus service) and the list must be agreed with NTA before the new bus stop sites can be announced.