Details revealed of multi-million euro road in Portlaoise planned by Laois council

A long-promised new road in Portlaoise that could ease traffic by linking two of the town's busiest roads could finally be on the way to becoming a reality with the publication of a tender by Laois County Council.

County Hall is looking to appoint a Design Team for the full design and other works required to plan for the proposed Beladd Link Road. The tender seen by the Leinster Express / Laois Live outlines details about the project, which could cost over €4.5 million to deliver.

"The proposed project is a road that will connect the N80 Stradbally Road and the R445 Dublin Road in Portlaoise, extending the Portlaoise Southern Circular Road to the Dublin Road. It is located to the west of, and parallel to, the existing Block Road.

"It is to be a single carriageway, 0.53km in length, with footpaths and cycle tracks on both sides, and have a cross-section similar to that of recently completed sections of the Portlaoise Southern Circular Road.

"At its southern end, the road will tie into an existing roundabout on the N80, and at the northern end (at Fielbrook) a mini roundabout is proposed at the junction with the R445 (Dublin Road)," it says.

The local authority also spells out some of the main objectives of the plan.

It says the road aims to reduce congestion, journey times and trip-length variability for trips between the Southern Circular Route, the N80 Stradbally Road and the R445 Dublin Road, for the benefit of transport users, the community and the local economy.

The council also believes it can reduce the likelihood and severity or crashes at the junctions and road links serving trips between the Southern Circular Route, the N80 Stradbally Road and the R445 Dublin Road for all transport modes but particularly for vulnerable road users.

Officials also say it will increase accessibility between residential areas on the Dublin Road and the schools and shops on the Southern Circular Route to help to "decrease deprivation in the area".

Potential road designers have also been told that it provide safe, active-travel (walking and cycling) infrastructure between the Southern Circular Route, the N80 Stradbally Road and the R445 Dublin Road to promote walking and cycling trips.

Another purpose identified is the provision of transport infrastructure needed for the sustainable operation of the housing and schools’ developments recently built and for the developments that are planned to be built.

The council says the Beladd Road through HSE land is an objective of both the County Development Plan and the Portlaoise Local Transport Plan. MORE BELOW PICTURE OF ROUTE.

Access to Portlaoise hospital is another justification for the road. While the council says there is no indication that traffic delay has had any part in poorer ambulance response times in the Midlands Region, it says the existence of congestion and traffic delay at peak times on the routes to Portlaosie hospital is a risk factor for ambulance response times.

As for the cost, the local authority's Roads Department expect the land would cost €630,000 while the project would require a spend of over €4.5 million on construction, of which nearly all would come from the Department of Transport. 

The council has told bidders for the design contract that the project is funding-dependent, and each stage needs prior approval from the Department of Transport and Laois County Council. MORE BELOW COUNCIL ROAD PLANS FOR PORTLAOISE.

The tender documents say the single carriageway route would be 530 metre long and 17.6 metres in width. It will include footpaths and cycle lanes.  While the land is in public ownership, the council says 90% would have to be acquired from the HSE.

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The upgrade of the Block Road was considered, but the council decided that a new road would be a better option for a number of reasons. It said building a new route would come in at around the same price as upgrade.

As for the timeframe, the council hopes that the bulk of the construction work would be carried out over two years between 2027 and 2028 with the project completed in 2029.

The project has been a long-term aim of the local authority dating back to the Celtic Tiger years. It has been held up for various reasons, including the building of two houses on the entrance to the route along the Stradbally Road.

The council eventually acquired these homes by compulsory purchase, but said during the process that they would be replaced by social houses.