Major Offaly road 'to be ripped up' and closed amid confusion and traffic chaos

There has been major confusion over a road closure of the Dublin Road out of Edenderry in recent days with a last minute decision made to push back the works.

The R402 is the main road out of Edenderry and part of it is due to close next week after the St Patrick's Day Bank Holiday weekend. A sign had been erected at the site near the Lidl junction in Edenderry suggesting the work would begin this week, March 12, and would see the road closed for the best part of a week. 

However, Offaly County Council has now confirmed that the closure, which is expected to cause major traffic issues in the town, will come into force on March 18 for two days with the road re-opening at 6pm on March 19. 

The road is busy with commuters and school traffic and school bus operators and emergency services are among those sent specific notice this week of the closure.

Two diversions will be in place; one for cars and ordinary traffic via Kishawanny Lower, Ballygibbon East and Carrick (L-5019), and the other for heavy goods vehicles via Broadford, Clonard and Kinnegad (R402, L-1005/ 1002, R418, R401).

Traffic marshalls will be in place to warn of the closures which will effect other parts of the town with the new inner relief road facilitating the diversions. 

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Fine Gael councillor Noel Cribbin has said: "All those serious pot holes on the Dublin Road are being repaired, the road has to be ripped up and re-laid, avoid if at all possible." The council says the closure is for "road reconstruction works."

Locals were left scratching their heads over different dates for the closure with no public notice on the council website. 

One local resident said: "What times is it starting and finishing? How are people supposed to commute to and from Dublin for work? That is the main road out of the town!"

A map of the works supplied to the Offaly Express shows that diversions will start in the centre of the town at the old Bank of Ireland roundabout. 

The area engineer explains this is to avoid an excessive build-up of traffic at the works site which will begin between the Lidl junction and Boyne Meadows. 

"While the works are shown up to the Bank of Ireland, this is to ensure that traffic are made aware to divert at Bank of Ireland towards Carrick so as to not travel all the way down as far as Boyne Meadows and then be turned back," a statement from Edenderry Municipal District explained.

"This is especially important for HGV traffic for obvious reasons. Local access will be able to travel down as far of the works area from both approaches. If the traffic management plan does not extend up as far as Bank of Ireland, we will have a lot of traffic travelling down towards Boyne Meadows only to have to travel back up to Bank of Ireland to access the detour route."