AND FINALLY…Up to 14, 000 vechicles per day could use the new link road say Roads Service
THE cost of the Cherrymount Link road in Enniskillen, which opened today (Wednesday, June 5) has gone over budget by over £3 million.
Roads Service say the overspend is due largely to the discovery of the ancient crannog along the route, and the associated work and delays which this caused.
It is understood that the scheme, which was budgeted at £12.85 million, has now risen to approximately £16 million.
The new link road is 2km in length with the first 600 metres (from Irvinestown road) existing carriageway which has now been widened to single lane dualing with a central median, and a further 1.4km of new road.
The new road has four roundabouts – one at the Coa Road, one at Tempo Road, one at Carn Industrial Estate and a fourth roundabout providing a link to new development land.
And while it is widely believed the initial phase of the road, which was opened last year, provided little benefit to the town traffic, Roads Service say the completed road will carry up to 14,000 vehicles per day and should take substantial traffic pressure from the Gaol Square junction in the heart of Enniskillen.
There was a broad welcome for the new road among Enniskillen businesses although nobody knows yet how exactly it will affect them.
Paddy Murphy from Donnelly Citroen said he believed it would bring extra customers past their door, and said they would have to change the ways the cars are set up outside their Irvinestown Road premises to cater for the increasing passing traffic.
“It will give us a big audience, and anything involving better infrastructure can be nothing but good for the town.
Tempo Road car dealer Drew Baxter, of Drew Baxter cars said it was time something was done about the town as the traffic has been getting unacceptably heavy.
“It can be very hard to get out of my place at busy times, and it’s very hectic around here in the evenings’ Mr Baxter said.
The car dealer was hopeful the new link road would help the town traffic but he also said he could see problems down at Cathcarts (Tempo Road) in the evenings when people get out of work in places like Liberty Insurance.
See our video of the new road below:
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