3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
A main road that endangers the lives of drivers every day must be urgently upgraded says Sligo business group
Sligo Chamber of Commerce has called on the Government to scrap a limited plan to redevelop just two sections of the N17 and commit to a previous promise to transform the entire 40km stretch of road from Collooney to Ireland West Airport Knock into a modern, safe, dual carriageway.
The call is backed by Joe Gilmore, Managing Director of Ireland West Airport Knock and other regional businesses, who have urged the Government to revisit plans for full redevelopment of the road as originally outlined in the National Planning Framework.
The Chamber and Ireland West Airport Knock believe the current situation in which heavy goods vehicles are travelling alongside cars, buses, and agricultural vehicles in winding single lanes of traffic is proving a barrier to economic growth in the region.
The N17 is the primary road linking the West and North West and forms part of the national network connecting the cities along the western seaboard – Cork, Limerick, Galway and Derry. It is also a key part of the Atlantic Economic Corridor, a government initiative to encourage investment in the West of Ireland.
A provision for the full redevelopment of the N17 from Collooney to Ireland West Airport was established in the National Planning Framework in 2018. However, in 2023, the previous Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, placed a ministerial condition on the planned redevelopment which limited the works to the construction of a bypass at Tubbercurry and another at Charlestown.
Sligo Chamber of Commerce CEO Aidan Doyle believes the ministerial condition is an 'arbitrary' measure and must be scrapped in favour of full redevelopment.
He added: 'The existing road connecting Ireland West Airport Knock and Collooney is unsafe and unfit for purpose. Drivers and residents of communities along the N17 are sadly familiar with the unsafe conditions created by the heavy flow of traffic along the route. To kick-start economic growth and protect the lives of road users, it's vital that the Government scraps the arbitrary ministerial condition inserted by the previous Minister for Transport and delivers on original commitments in the National Planning Framework, which is a high-standard dual carriageway linking the 40km section of road linking Collooney and Ireland West Airport Knock.'
Data from the Northern and Western Regional Assembly (NWRA) shows that northern and western region is lagging far behind its European counterparts in terms of infrastructure provision. Indeed, according to a 2024 report from the NWRA, the Northern and Western Region ranks 218th out 234 NUTS2 regions for transport infrastructure and has a regional competitiveness rating on par with regions in the former Soviet states of Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland.
Managing Director of Ireland West Airport Knock Joe Gilmore said: 'The existing N17 is a barrier to growth in the North West and West of Ireland. The delivery of a modern dual carriageway from Ireland West Airport Knock to Collooney, and south of the airport to Tuam, as outlined in the National Planning Framework, will be necessary to fulfil our region's economic potential and address the eastern imbalance in the national economy. A safe and free-flowing connection to Ireland West Airport can go a long way to remedying this imbalance and setting the region, and the country, on the path to a more prosperous future.'
Also urging the Government to invest in a larger-scale capital project are Daithi Feehily, CEO of Sligo Travel, and Ann Butler of Higgins Pharmacy in Sligo.
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As a regular user of the N17, Mr Feehily says there are unsafe conditions created by heavy traffic flows along the narrow and winding route. Indeed, Mr Feehily reported that his fleet of vehicles regularly sustain damage when passing other buses or HGVs on the road.
Ms Butler, who lives along the N17, has criticised the government's failure to commit to the full redevelopment of the route, adding that the current condition of the road endangers lives of motorists and residents of communities along the N17 and deepens regional inequality.
Sligo Travel CEO Daithi Feehily said: 'Our drivers regularly travel along the N17. The narrow and winding nature of the road is such that our vehicles have sustained damage from passing HGVs and public transport. While this damage has so far been limited to broken wing mirrors and glazing, the effect on a small business like ours is not insignificant. We have considerable concerns for the safety of drivers and passengers on the N17 and fear that there could be much more serious consequences from these incidents if the road is not redeveloped in the future.'
Managing Director of Higgins Pharmacy Ann Butler said: 'The N17 between Ireland West Airport Knock and Collooney is not just a bottleneck to economic growth – it's a daily hazard to public safety. The government's failure to deliver on its commitment to fully redevelop this vital route endangers lives and deepens regional inequality. We call for immediate investment to transform the N17 into a safe, modern dual carriageway that supports both prosperity and protection for the North West.'
