Important traffic alleviation road to open in Offaly town in near future

It's expected that the Birr Northern Distributor Road road will open to traffic in the near future.

It has been designed to partly relieve heavy traffic congestion in the town by connecting the R439 Banagher Road to the N52 Tullamore Road, passing near Lidl and the Gaelscoil.

Work began in early 2025, involving construction of the road, footpaths, cycleways, and associated infrastructure, with the goal of improving traffic flow, supporting development, and enhancing connectivity in Birr.

Work is also progressing on the Southern Distributor Road which will run from the County Arms / Tesco roundabout to Syngefield, past the new Primary Care Centre.

Cllr Seán Maher told The Midland Tribune that a number of developers are now "actively working" on the Southern Distributor Road, including the contractor working on the Primary Care Care and two other construction companies. 

During the official opening last June of Birr's Gaelscoil, which is located right beside the Northern Distributor Road, former Councillor John Carroll told the gathering that “with the new link road currently under construction I think it would be now appropriate and timely to raise the question of what its name should be?” John asked the gathering if they thought “Bóthar na Laochra” would be a good name? His question received an enthusiastic response from many. He pointed out that if called Bóthar na Laochra” it would be “our first Irish named road in the town. I think it would be great to have our first Irish titled road. The name could be dedicated to the sporting, cultural, entrepreneurial giants of Birr, the Laochra who have contributed to the development of our town.” He pointed out that the Gaelscoil is “the prominent public building on the link road. The school, through the Department of Education, has delivered a section of the road - funds which were due for a new Hall for the Gaelscoil were instead channelled into the link road.”

Birr has been suffering badly for years from daily traffic jams. It's hoped that the Northern Distributor Road, which will run from Tullamore Road, past Lidl and the Gaelscoil, and emerge on the Banagher Road, will go some way to alleviating the problem. The Northern Distributor is only 370 metres in length but it should improve the congestion a bit, particularly during the periods when cars are dropping off or collecting pupils from St Brendan's Community School. The Council had previously been aiming to begin the works in 2023 or 2024.

The Southern Distributor Road seems to be progressing more quickly than previously expected. It was previously guessed it might be finished by 2029, but it seems to be on track to finish well before that. There had also been some talk about building a connecting link road between the two Distributor Roads to further improve the town's congestion problem. This link road would run across green fields. However it's not certain whether this will proceed or not.  

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