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Royal Canal Greenway (part of Eurovelo 2) launched on 24th March 2021 with Eamon Ryan

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  Photo courtesy of https://www.waterwaysireland.org/ The official launch of the Royal Canal Greenway will take place on Wednesday 24th March 2021. Due to Covid19, this launch event will be a virtual one. Minister Eamon Ryan and Minister Malcolm Noonan will be in attendance for this online launch. The Royal Canal greenway is part of the Eurovelo 2 capitals route that will run from Moscow to Galway when complete. This section of the Eurovelo 2 greenway runs from Maynooth in Co. Kildare to Cloondara in Co. Longford. In total it is 130km long of level tow path which is ideal for both walkers and cyclists. The Royal Canal Greenway traverses 4 counties in total including Kildare, Meath, Westmeath and Longford. Each of the 4 counties are jointly working on launching and marketing this new greenway in partnership with Waterways Ireland. While the entire route from Dublin to Longford is yet to be completed this is still a significant new addition to Irelands growing network of greenways. The

Public Consultation 2

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  After a five-year pause, the Galway to Athlone Cycleway is being developed with a fresh new start. New consultants, RPS, have been appointed and given a blank canvas to develop a route for the cycleway Public Consultation No.2 started on January 25th 2021 and run for 5 weeks until 1st March 2021. Due to current health restrictions, a physical consultation event is not possible but the Consultation can be accessed in the Virtual Consultation Room  Here

Next phase of the Dublin Galway Greenway could be open by Easter

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The Westmeath indepentent are reporting that the next phase of the Dublin Galway greenway could be opened by Easter. The upcoming phase, just a kilometre in length, extends the Dublin to Galway Greenway from the Whitegates in Athline into town adjacent to the Radisson Blu Hotel. This is a prerequisite for the next more complex and costly section which will see a new bridge built over the River Shannon to take cyclists over to Athlone Castle. According to the tender documents, the next phase will consist of earthworks and paving works for the cycleway track along the route, along with new culvert works, landscaping, installation of public lighting, electrical works, and traffic signalling works. In another exciting development Michael Kelly, Senior Executive Engineer from Westmeath County Council's National Roads Office told the paper that “the bridge (across the Shannon) is at detailed design stage and it's hoped to go tender on that in early 2021” 

Public Consultation Starting on Athlone to Galway cycleway route

The Galway to Athlone Greenway Project Office will hold a series of public engagement events in early August 2020 to give members of the public a first opportunity to discuss the greenway design with members of the design team. The event details are as follows; Shamrock Lodge Hotel Athlone - Monday 10th August, Shearwater Hotel Ballinasloe - Tuesday 11th August, Raheen Woods Hotel, Athenry - Wednesday 12th August, Loughrea Hotel - Thursday 13th August, Maldron Hotel, Oranmore - Friday 14th August. All of the events will take place from 11am - 8pm on each day, offering ample opportunity for the public to participate. In addition, members of the public can make submissions by emailing the team at info@galwaytoathlonecycleway.com and members of the design team are available to meet by appointment at the Ballinasloe Project Office.

Greenway office to be located in Ballinasloe

In a significant move for the Dublin Galway greenway, Ballinasloe has been selected as the location for the office that will oversee the project. In July 2019, Senator Maura Hopkins called for the public office for the Athlone to Galway Greenway to be located in the East Galway town. While there had been previous local opposition to the greenway in Galway, it is hoped that the Ballinasloe to Athlone section of the greenway can move ahead in 2020. Consultants have been appointed to oversee the project for building the bridge over the Shannon. Having a local office in Ballinasloe may also help encourage local support for the Greenway across east Galway. Due to entrenched opposition, the section of the Dublin Galway Greenway through Galway was paused back in 2015 by the then minister of transport Pascal Donohue. Funds for the project were reallocated to the royal canal greenway in Kildare and Meath. These sections have now been completed which means that there is a continuous greenway

Dublin Galway Greenway Bridge set to open in 2 years

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According to recent reports in the Shannonaide news, a new bridge across the Shannon in Athlone for the Dublin Galway greenway will open in two years. This is according to Michael Kelly, who’s a senior executive engineer with Westmeath council, and who’s co-ordinating the entire greenway from Dublin to Galway. Works are taking place this weekend to make an underpass for the greenway under a railway bridge, and this will then allow work to begin to bring the cycling and walking trail from just outside the town right into the centre, and down to Athlone marina.

Dublin Galway Greenway is the centrepiece of the National Greenway Strategy

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At the launch of the highly anticipated greenway strategy last week Minister Shane Ross announced €53m funding for Greenways and highlighted his renewed focus on completing the Dublin Galway Greenway. Dublin to Galway greenway is the centrepiece of the Government’s National Greenway Strategy. (Sorry for repost - better picture) https://t.co/am2W5uJhnR pic.twitter.com/vd6TLoeXYz — dublingalwaygreenway (@dublingalwaygw) July 20, 2018 The new greenway strategy sets out to defined what are strategic, national and regional greenways. Greenways of over 100km in length will be of national strategic importance and will be given priority in funding. The Dublin Galway greenway is being highlighted as of strategic importance and Ross said that “It is certainly our ambition that there will be at least one greenway that is coast to coast,” and later explained that tourism research indicted the need for such a project and stating his preference for a Dublin to Galway route. The minister also

TII to take the lead in completing the Dublin Galway Greenway

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It was announced this week , that Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) will be handed the lead role in delivering the remaining sections of the Dublin Galway Greenway. It is hoped the TII's expertise in delivering national infrastructure projects and their ability to negotiate with landowners will help break the current empass. Furthermore, the dept of Transport and Tourism will soon release it's national greenway strategy which is likely to address how best farmers and landowners can be adequately consulted with and compensated for route options. Plans for the western end of the coast to coast greenway were halted in 2015 as landowners in West Galway strongly opposed the routing of the route through their land holdings. The then minister of transport, Paschal Donohoe, decided to pause the project and direct the allocated funding to the eastern end of the project. Kildare, Meath councils were allocated funds to complete their section of the Royal Canal Greenway which as

ROYAL CANAL GREENWAY (DUBLIN CITY END) – PROGRESS REPORT

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The following update is thanks to Cllr. Ray McAdam on his website . "Since my last update on the delivery of a dedicated cycle and pedestrian route along the Royal Canal, a number of issues have arisen which have delayed construction work on the project to begin. Dublin City Council has added the upgrade of a road junction to the Phase II programme of works. The initial phase of the tendering process has now been completed with Council officials expecting the second stage to start in November. All going to plan, it is anticipated that construction can begin on March 29th 2018. In terms of Phase III of the project, between the North Strand Road and the Phibsborough Road, the Council has had to review the documentation surrounding the cost of the project, meaning that tender documents should now be issued in December 2017. It is anticipated that the Contractor will be on site before the end of April 2018. The project requires certain approvals from Waterways Ireland. We hav

Public Consultation on the future of greenways to begin in coming days

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According to Minister Ross, the eagerly awaited public consultation on future greenway development will begin in the coming days. Minister Ross has had discussions on the proposed approach with many stakeholder including the Cabinet Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs. In response to a Dail question, he said that he will be launching a public consultation process in the coming days to inform the development of the Strategy and all interested parties will have the opportunity to give their views  as part of the public consultation process.  The public consultation process will last for 6 weeks and he is urging all those interested in the subject to submit their views on it.  These will be taken into account in finalising the Strategy and he expects that this will be completed and the Strategy published by the end of the year.