Town enhancement works near completion

The street enhancement works in the centre of Mullingar are on course to be completed by the end of this month, Westmeath County Council has said.

According to an update provided by the council to the Westmeath Examiner, all of the paving work ,with the exception of Market Square which is scheduled to be finished by September 20, has been completed.

In Dominick Square all of the street furniture and public lighting has been completed and the council says that the traffic lights will be fully operational by late September.

In Mount Street all of the footpath paving has been completed and traffic lights will be operation by late September.

In Market Square, where most of the work is currently taking place, street lighting will be installed by mid September. At the Pearse Street-Castle Street Juncition, the council says that the public lighting will be operational by mid September.

Road resurfacing in the centre of the town will commence on September 23 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of the month.

The traffic signals between the Green Bridge and the Dublin Bridge are set to be upgraded during this period also. The new intelligent traffic light system combines traditional traffic lights with sensors and artificial intelligence, which it's hoped will improve traffic flow through the centre of the town.

The council says that project “aims to transform the town centre into a more inviting and welcoming space with more opportunities for people to gather and interact thereby, reinvigorating residential and retail viability and contributing to the economic development of the town”.

However, while the works have undoubtedly transformed the streetscape of the town, they have not been universally welcomed.

Before the work got underway, some members of the business community claimed that they hadn't been properly consulted about the project. During the works a number of businesses claimed that their takings were down as much as 30 percent and called for a reduction in rates to compensate for their loss of earnings.

The decision to reduce the number of street parking spaces was also criticised, as was the decision to continue with the works in the run up to Christmas, the busiest period of the year for retailers.