Church Street in Roscommon town has reopened following the completion of a major phase of public realm works, providing the first clear indication of the finished streetscape as an extensive programme of works continues across several other areas of the town.
The newly completed street includes upgraded and widened footpaths, resurfacing and other public realm improvements, while attention has now moved to other sections of what is a substantial town-wide project.
Works are currently taking place in a number of areas, including along the Circular Road/N61 and Athlone Road, with further works planned for Goff Street and Henry Street.
The scale of the programme has inevitably caused disruption for businesses, motorists and pedestrians. Speaking to the Roscommon People, local traders reported difficulties around access, parking and footfall, although there was also a frequent acknowledgement that the finished improvements have the potential to benefit the town.
Traders feel impact of works
Miranda Connolly of Jorena Health & Gift Shop said the construction period had affected her business significantly. Many of her customers are older, she explained, and some have found parking further away from the shop difficult. “Regular customers are coming in and saying, ‘I was trying to get in for a few days, but I just couldn’t park’,” she said.
She also highlighted the impact of noise and dust during construction and said that, for some older customers, simply parking in one of the larger car parks and walking to their destination was not always a straightforward alternative.
The disruption, however, is only one side of her experience. With the work on Church Street now completed, Miranda said she was happy with the finished result.
Declan Molloy of Molloy’s Bakery said it was principally the work taking place immediately outside his own premises that had affected the business. “From the time the roadwork started, turnover dropped,” he said. “Not dramatically, but it did drop. We could notice the drop in footfall.”
At the time he spoke to the Roscommon People, Mr Molloy said the absence of final road markings in the area was creating confusion for some motorists. He stressed, however, that he is supportive of efforts to improve Roscommon town.
“I’d love to see the town improve,” he said, adding that he believed the previous enhancement of the Square had helped modernise the town. His principal concern is ensuring that accessibility and parking remain central to future development, particularly in a rural town where many customers continue to depend on their cars.
“They don’t want cars on our streets,” he said, adding that he was unsure whether that policy direction was coming from local or central government.
“I definitely don’t agree with that in rural Ireland.”
He said accessibility for older people and the continued availability of convenient parking should remain an important consideration as the town develops.
Mr Molloy described Roscommon’s continued availability of free parking as a major advantage and said he hoped this would be retained. “We’ve had an awful lot of people come into the town over the last number of years based on the quality of the shops, the small businesses that are in the town,” he said. “The free parking is a huge, huge benefit.”
Mixed views from the public
Members of the public who spoke anonymously to the Roscommon People also expressed differing views.
One woman said she was unhappy with the amount of construction taking place simultaneously around the town and described driving and finding convenient parking as difficult.
She said she often has to park further away and walk to her destination.
Walking itself, however, was not a problem for her. “I like walking,” she said, although she added that it was understandably less appealing in bad weather. She also saw some merit in the new cycling infrastructure being introduced, particularly if it is properly used, and suggested it may appeal particularly to younger people.
Another person took a more positive view of the timing of the works. While acknowledging that nobody particularly enjoys roadworks, he said the summer months were preferable to carrying out major construction approaching Christmas or during poorer winter weather: “I think this is the best time of year to do them”.
He also felt Roscommon remained relatively convenient for parking compared with some other towns, particularly because motorists can use the larger central car parks and walk a short distance to businesses. Their main concern related to the narrowing of some roads and junctions and how this could affect larger vehicles and future traffic movements.
Council aiming to complete key streets before Christmas
In correspondence with Roscommon Chamber of Commerce, Roscommon County Council outlined the planned sequencing of the Athlone Road and Goff Street works.
The temporary road closure programme runs on a phased basis between July 27 and November 20. Athlone Road has been allocated an estimated ten-week construction period, with the Athlone Road/Goff Street junction initially remaining open to normal two-way traffic on Goff Street.
The Council says that from around early September, the junction is scheduled to close to allow the new junction works to begin. Lower Goff Street works are also due to commence during this period.
The intention is to have the Athlone Road section, including the Goff Street junction, substantially completed by early October, allowing two-way traffic to return to Athlone Road and Upper Goff Street. Lower Goff Street would then remain under construction into early November. The advertised closure period to November 20 incorporates an additional two-week allowance for unforeseen delays.
According to the Council, deliberately overlapping the works on Athlone Road and Lower Goff Street is intended to reduce the overall duration of the programme and allow both key routes to reopen ahead of the Christmas shopping period.
Works are then planned to move to Henry Street over the Christmas period, allowing normal traffic movements through the principal town-centre routes, while works on Upper Goff Street are proposed for early in the new year.
Why are several areas being worked on at once?
The number of simultaneous construction areas has been one of the issues raised locally. Roscommon County Council told the Chamber that having more than one active work area is necessary in order to maintain continuity for the different trades involved in the project.
The Council said that they are aware of the importance of completing Athlone Road and Lower Goff Street ahead of the Christmas period and that the areas are to be resourced accordingly. The Council also acknowledged that the original timescale provided for the Church Street works proved overly optimistic and that issues encountered during construction extended the duration of that phase. It said the experience gained on Church Street has been taken into account in planning the programme for Athlone Road and Goff Street.
The Council has also raised the issue of construction vehicles occupying public parking spaces. While some construction parking is required to maintain access to tools and equipment, the contractor has agreed to keep this to a minimum.
The Council has further agreed to review the demarcation of time-limited parking in some areas following concerns raised by local businesses. It acknowledged that works of this nature result in unavoidable inconvenience and said they would continue to work with individual businesses in relation to practical matters including deliveries and access.
With Church Street now reopened, traders and the wider public have an opportunity to see one completed part of what remains a considerable project across Roscommon town.
For businesses that have endured disruption during construction, the hope will be that the longer-term improvements justify the temporary difficulties.
What is planned around Roscommon Town?
The wider “Putting the Spokes Back in the Wheel” public realm project covers a substantial area of Roscommon town and is intended to improve streets, pedestrian connections, cycling facilities, parking and the overall town environment.
Circular Road / Roscommon Arts Centre / Dunnes area
The approved proposals include a new linear park and cycleways along the N61/Circular Road, running between the Lanesboro Street and Athlone Road roundabouts, together with additional pedestrian crossing points.
The scheme also provides for the redevelopment of the parking area beside Roscommon Arts Centre and improved connections between this part of town and the historic centre.
Dunnes Stores and Centre Point Retail Park form part of this wider Circular Road area, with the project designed to improve pedestrian and cycling connections between these major destinations and the town centre.
Tesco connection
Improved pedestrian connectivity is planned from the N61/Circular Road through the Tesco car park towards Main Street, creating another link between the outer commercial areas and the town centre.
Athlone Road and Brogan’s Lane
Public realm and cycling improvements are planned along Athlone Road and Brogan’s Lane, alongside road, footpath and parking works.
Athlone Road is one of the principal areas currently under construction.
Goff Street
Public realm and cycling improvements are planned along Goff Street from Church Street to the N63/Circular Road junction.
Lower Goff Street is due to be tackled alongside the latter part of the Athlone Road programme, with Upper Goff Street planned after Christmas.
Church Street
The Church Street section, running from the Goff Street junction towards Abbey Street, has now undergone its principal public realm upgrade and reopened to traffic.
Henry Street
Public realm improvements are also planned for Henry Street, with the current programme indicating that work will move into this area over the Christmas period.
Chamber invites feedback from local businesses
Businesses affected by the ongoing public realm works who wish to raise practical concerns, observations or issues relating to access, deliveries, parking or the operation of the works can contact Roscommon Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber will collate matters raised by local businesses and, where appropriate, bring them to the attention of Roscommon County Council and Coffey Construction. Email roscommonchamber@outlook.com or message Roscommon Chamber of Commerce on Facebook.
