Six weeks of roadworks on busy Portlaoise Mountmellick road

Almost six weeks of Laois roadworks are about to add to driver delays on the busy N80 Mountmellick road in Portlaoise.

Laois County Council has announced "temporary traffic management" on the national road, from Rossleighan soccer club to The Cedar Clinic roundabout.

The Laois roadworks are starting on Monday, February 9, daily from 8am to 6pm, to last until Friday, March 20.

They explain that the traffic lights are to enable new sewer works to be connected to the new estate being built beside the Cedar Clinic roundabout called Cedar Woods.

The new housing development will provide 50 social homes for Laois County Council tenants, and it is due to be completed by Christmas 2026.

Traffic is going to be diverted around the Western Orbital Route, which runs from Fairgreen roundabout to the Mountrath Road past Portlaoise College.

Even ahead of the extra disruption, the N80 Mountmellick road was this month described as "a nightmare" for traffic.

Cllr Paddy Buggy tabled a motion to the Portlaoise Municipal District January meeting, asking the council to put more traffic lights on the road, to help local drivers to gain access.

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However Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley disagreed and instead urged the council to push for the recommended three new roundabouts that await funding by the TII.

"Despite the good bus transport, it's actually got worse, the whole way into town is absolutely crazy," she said.