Public consultation on N52 Ardee Bypass takes place next week

As part of a review of the proposed N52 Ardee Bypass a public consultation will take place in Ardee Parish Centre, Hale Street, Ardee on March 5 from 4pm to 8pm.

The purpose of this public consultation is to invite submissions from the public and interested stakeholders regarding the junction strategy, so that this information may be used to assist the design team in the development of the scheme.

Louth County Council, with the support of Transport Infrastructure Ireland, are conducting the review, which includes considering alternative junction strategies and undertaking an appraisal of the options to deliver the optimal solution.

The existing section of the N52 between the R165 crossroads and Ardee town, has a number of constraints including a sub-standard cross section, horizontal geometry and over 110 direct accesses onto the N52 outside of the 50km/h speed restricted zone.

The N52 terminates at the junction with the N2 in the centre of Ardee town, where the congested high street can cause significant delays for through traffic wishing to continue onward towards Dundalk and the north of the country.

The need for a bypass of Ardee along the N52 is outlined in National, Regional and Local policy and has been progressed by Louth County Council over a number of years. The N52 Ardee Bypass was approved under a Part 8 planning application by Louth County Council in June 2005 but wasn’t progressed further due to funding constraints.

Following the reactivation of the scheme in 2018, detailed design was undertaken and fencing was erected in advance of the main construction contract.

Subsequently, a number of submissions were received by LCC/TII from local residents raising concerns about the junction arrangements and the potential impacts that these arrangements would have on local traffic movements and communities.

LCC, in conjunction with TII, have therefore decided to conduct a detailed review of the scheme, considering alternative junction strategies and undertaking an appraisal of the options to deliver the optimal solution.