Mayo road safety upgrades receive ministerial endorsement

County Mayo’s new N17/R320 Lisduff Upgrade Road Project, completed by BAM, was officially opened to the public on Friday 28th July 2023. 

The opening ceremony was performed by Minister of State Calleary, alongside Cllr Michael Loftus, Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council. The upgraded junction is the largest project funded to date by Transport Infrastructure Ireland’s Safety Section.

The junction upgrade will see a reduction of direct access and the elimination of right hand turns on the N17 in the vicinity of the upgrade, improving safety for all road users by reducing the frequency and severity of collisions.

The location was formerly identified as a High Collision Location in 2018 by a TII collision cluster analysis and a feasibility study followed which recommended this new improvement scheme.

Construction commenced in January 2022, and the project has seen 0.85km of link roads and an overbridge built over the N17, along with the installation of two roundabouts and the closure of the existing N17/L/5565-0 Mellick More Road junction.

Mayo County Council’s National Roads Office (NRO) managed the project, which was guided by a steering group that comprised of the members of the NRO, Barry Transportation Consulting and senior management from Mayo County Council and TII. The contract was awarded to BAM Ltd in November 2021 to oversee construction of the scheme.

Minister of State, Calleary speaking at the opening of the new upgrade said:

“It is an honour to officially open the N17/R320 Lisduff Junction upgrade today. As many in the community will know this is a much-needed upgrade and I want to acknowledge what has been the driving force for this - greater road safety for all road users. Road collisions have a devastating impact on individuals, their families, and their communities. This area has seen a number of dangerous collisions that has unfortunately led to serious injury and tragically the loss of life, most recently in 2017, but I hope the improvements made under the upgrade will reduce collisions and make this road safer for all. I want to thank all those involved to deliver this important upgrade, and whose work and dedication will result in greater road safety.”

Cathaoirleach, Cllr Loftus added: 

“It was a great privilege as Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council to be here today at the official opening of this new junction upgrade. This may seem like a minor piece of infrastructure to those who do not know much about this scheme, but the improvements that this will bring to road safety in this area and the county in general is something that I am delighted to see. The N17 is a major artery in and out of Mayo and sees thousands of vehicles using it every day, we had a very unfortunate tragic accident at this location in 2017, where three people lost their lives and if even just one life is saved in the future thanks to this upgrade it will have been a worthwhile investment for the county.

Kevin Kelly, Chief Executive of Mayo County Council, stated: 

“Mayo County Council are delighted to see this new junction upgrade opened here today. Our National Roads Office along with the consultants, TII and the contractors have delivered a project that will bring massive improvement to this section of the N17 for all road users and most importantly will increase road safety. I would like to thank everyone involved in this project, and in particular the 22 landowners who were affected by it and all the local population who were behind this project from its inception right up to its delivery here today.

Geraldine Fitzpatrick, TII Head of Roads and Greenways Capital Programme, stated: 

"The primary focus for TII and our Local Authority partners when undertaking any road project is to improve road user safety. The N17/R320 Lisduff Junction Upgrade is an excellent example of how delivering a project of this scale will have significant safety benefit for road users."