North Mayo commuters continue to face 45-minute traffic delays as calls to fast-track bypass project rejected
Plans for an Eastern Bypass in Ballina will not be considered until statutory consent and planning approval have been secured for the Western Bypass, councillors have been told.
Cllr Marie-Therese Duffy raised the issue at the April meeting of Mayo County Council calling on the local authority to “prioritise the Eastern Bypass of Ballina as the number one road project for Mayo” and to engage with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to ensure fast-tracked delivery.
Her motion follows a similar proposal tabled at the March meeting of the Ballina Municipal District, as calls for improved road infrastructure in the north Mayo town continue to grow.
Councillors have reported that it can take around 45 minutes to travel across Ballina during peak times, warning that delays are deterring people from visiting and shopping in the town.
With congestion continuing to build, local representatives say the existing road network is no longer fit for purpose and that additional infrastructure is urgently needed.
The Western Bypass, which forms Phase One of the overall Ballina Bypass project, will involve a 2.3km route linking the N26 Foxford-to-Dublin Road with the N59 Crossmolina Road.
The project is currently at Stage Three of an eight-stage development process, with €300,000 in funding allocated by TII this year. A planning application submission to An Coimisiún Pleanála is expected by June.
The proposed Eastern Bypass, identified as Phase Two, would involve a 7.5km route running from the Foxford Road near Hollister, including a new bridge crossing the River Moy and linking onto the Sligo Road.
Speaking at the April meeting, Cllr Marie-Therese Duffy said that while the project “may be centred in the Ballina district”, the traffic situation in Ballina “affects all of Mayo”.
She noted that Ballina is the second-largest town in the county, with a population of 10,500, and is home to major employers including European Refreshments Unlimited Company (Coca-Cola) and Hollister.
“It is the key town in north Mayo, but it lacks an orbital route. On an average day, if you drive through Ballina, it can take between 30 and 60 minutes, and businesses and motorists are being affected,
“We have thriving businesses yet no orbital route,” Cllr Duffy said, adding that TII traffic counter data shows 8,806 vehicles pass daily on the N26 from Foxford into Ballina, one of the highest volumes in the county and up 2.4pc on the previous year.
“Traffic volumes through Ballina are increasing with up to 5.2pc on key routes, comparable with towns in Ireland such as Longford, Dungarvan and Enniscorthy,
“Castlebar has a bypass, and there is also a dual carriageway into Westport, but the only way to get from Foxford road to the Sligo road in Ballina is through the town centre and over a bridge that was built in the 1800s,” she added.
Cllr Duffy said the proposed Eastern Bypass route is “ideal and ready to go”, noting that it is a sterilised corridor that is in the Ballina Local Transport Plan.
She said the project would provide a much-needed additional river crossing and help ease pressure on the Lower and Upper bridges and surrounding roads.
Cllr Duffy pointed out that no funding application had been made by Mayo County Council for the project under the 2026 allocations, and called for immediate engagement with TII to seek an amendment and have the eastern route recognised as the county’s top priority.
She asked for Phase 0, scope and pre-appraisal of the project, to begin “without delay”, and for a feasibility study to be carried out along the preferred route.
Responding to the motion, Paul Hyland, Senior Engineer with the National Roads Office, said the council is currently focused on advancing the Western Bypass.
While the council “recognises the strategic benefits that an Eastern Bypass could bring to Ballina”, he said the immediate priority remains the Western route.
Cllr Duffy appealed for both projects to progress simultaneously, highlighting the “serious need” to address what she described as almost daily gridlock in the town.
Mr Hyland confirmed that the council has raised the Eastern Bypass with TII, which has “acknowledged the increasing local interest in the proposal” but noted that no funding allocation has yet been made.
He said the development of major road schemes is a long and complex process requiring significant funding and resources, and that the “current availability of funding and technical resources does not permit both schemes to be progressed concurrently”.
He added that progressing the Western Bypass to the statutory consent stage would strengthen the council’s position when seeking future funding for the Eastern route by providing clarity on delivery, maintaining investment continuity, and avoiding a situation where two major bypass proposals for Ballina compete for funding allocations.
“TII has advised that the optimal point to consider initiating work on an Eastern Bypass is when statutory consent has been secured for the Western Bypass, which is expected in 2027, subject to planning approval,
“At that stage, any request for funding for an Eastern Bypass will be assessed within the context of TIl's national programme and the resourcing capacity available within the National Roads Office,” Mr Hyland said.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.