A €200M PROJECT to replace “one of the worst sections of primary road in the country” has been given the green light.

Cabinet approved construction on a new single carriageway across Roscommon today.

The N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge Road Project can now progress to the construction phase, which will see around 34km of new single carriageway road.

The project is expected to take three years.

The carriageway will connect the western end of the existing N5 Ballaghaderreen Bypass to Scramoge, Co Roscommon.

It will bypass the towns of Frenchpark, Bellanagare, Tulsk and Strokestown.

New pedestrian and cycle facilities are to be provided in Strokestown between the Lavally and Kildalloge roundabout and on the N61 west of Elphin between the N5/N61 and roundabouts.

Additional pedestrian and cycle measures are currently being considered.

Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan described the existing route as “one of the worst sections of primary road in the country”.

“By completing the missing links in the N5 corridor, it will improve access to the north west,” Ryan said.

It’s hoped that the new route will help to divert heavy traffic, trucks and other heavy goods vehicles out of town centres.

Map of the N5 Project Department of Transport Department of Transport

Minister of State for Transport Hildegarde Naughton said the project “will eliminate sections of the N5 that have had collision rates nearly twice above the national road average”.

“The N5 road scheme which now moves to construction phase will improve safety for all road users including pedestrians and cyclists,” Naughton said.

“Dramatically improving the safety of the N5 corridor, the new route will also benefit road users by improving overall journey times and reduce travel costs,” she said.

Mayo TD Alan Dillon said that the move was a positive step for people in Mayo and “any road users who depend on the N95″.

“As the primary access road to our county, it has been a long road in getting to this point of project approval,” Dillon said.