TII to advance the greenway project

Tourism Minister Shane Ross has mandated Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to ensure the completion of the Dublin to Galway Greenway.

Speaking in the Luan Gallery in Athlone, Minister Ross said TII’s experience in developing the motorway network will prove invaluable in advancing the greenway project.

Minister of State, Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran, who accompanied Minister Ross in Athlone, said: “This is not about Athlone but about advancing the entire region. We are developing a major tourist infrastructure in the greenway and I am delighted that Minster Ross has brought in TII to advance the project.”

Minister Ross said: “I have asked TII and the Steering Group managing the project to look again at the route options report to see if a route can be identified that works locally and has the support of key landowners.

“I am also asking them to begin discussions with a view to putting in place an agreement on a fair and equitable compensation framework for landowners impacted by the greenway.

“Mandating TII to do this shows the importance with which we view this project.

“My officials are finalising our Greenways Strategy, which will address the concerns raised when the project was paused in 2015. Since then, of course, we have seen the extension of the Old Rail Trail further into Athlone, and planning permission granted for the bridge across the Shannon.

“We also now have a template of accommodation works that have proved successful in Waterford at mitigating the impact of the greenway on farming. I am hopeful that this can serve as a template for this project also and should alleviate any concerns that farmers and other landowners may have.

“We have the opportunity through this iconic coast-to-coast greenway to put Athlone at the heart of our activity tourism offering and to remind people of the beauty of our midland counties.”