New €7m Mount Avenue link road a ‘milestone’ development for Dundalk

A “major milestone” in upgrading the western road network in Dundalk was reached this week as the contract signing for the €7million Mount Avenue Link Road Scheme took place.

Chief Executive of Louth County Council, Joan Martin signed the contract for the scheme, in the presence of Councillor Conor Keelan, Cathaoirleach of Louth County Council and Councillor Kevin Meenan, Cathaoirleach of Dundalk Municipal District.

The successful contractor is Gibson Ireland JV, who were represented at the signing by Mr. John Gibson and Mr. Norman Lambe.

The construction contract is valued in excess of €7million and will involve the construction of a new road from Lis na Dara, on the Carrick Road, to the Mount Avenue Road, known locally as the “back of the wall”.

The new road will join the existing Mount Avenue Road north-west of the ESB Substation. From that point, the Mount Avenue Road will be widened and upgraded to Castletown Cross on the Castleblaney Road.

John Gibson, Gibsons Brothers Ireland JV, said: “We are delighted to be working in conjunction with Louth County Council to deliver this new and upgraded link road at Mount Avenue Dundalk. We are looking forward to being part of the team for this prestigious and important project and wish thank the local residents in advance for their cooperation and understanding during the construction period.

We aim to minimise the impact of the project during construction and although there will be some unavoidable disruption during construction, ultimately, we hope that the new link road will be of huge benefit to the people in the area and Dundalk town in general when completed”.

The cost of the works and land acquisition will be provided by Louth County Council and the Department of Housing under the “Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund” (LIHAF).

When completed the works will facilitate the development of social and private housing in the area and improve facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.

Chief Executive of Louth County Council, Joan Martin said: “I am delighted to sign this contract today. The works at Mount Avenue have been a strategic objective of Louth County Council for many years. The works will open up lands for much needed housing development and will improve safety for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists.”