About
Project Overview
Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and Mayo County Council (MCC) are currently investigating options to improve the traffic conditions on the N58 through Foxford town. The removal of strategic through traffic from the town centre will provide the opportunity to reallocate road space for the provision of dedicated walking, wheeling and cycling routes. The project will also act to strengthen the connectivity of Ballina to the county town of Castlebar and improve connectivity to the Wild Atlantic Way.
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The project will support sustainable mobility options and the Climate Action Plan targets for CO2 reductions through embedding best practice carbon management throughout the project life cycle.
Need for the Project
The need for the N58 Foxford Transport Project arises from several challenges that impact on the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of transport in Foxford, in particular along the N58/N26 corridors.
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Foxford experiences traffic congestion with more than half of this traffic being strategic through-traffic, placing considerable pressure on the constrained road network within Foxford, and in particular on the historic protected River Moy bridge crossing, which further exacerbates traffic issues on the N26. The high traffic volumes in the town centre increase air and noise pollution and act as a barrier to pedestrians and cyclists on the main street, all within close proximity to the EU designated River Moy SAC.
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Outside of the urban area of Foxford, the N58 corridor has a sub-standard horizontal and vertical alignment, with narrow cross-section and an unforgiving roadside. This combined with a high degree of direct accesses results in sections of the N58 consistently having a collision ranking of double the national average.
There is a lack of pedestrian facilities outside of the urban area, with no cycling provision within the study area. This lack of provision suppresses active travel, which is reflected in the low modal share of active modes compared to the county averages.
Project Objectives
The Project Objectives have been developed in accordance with the Department of Transport's Transport Appraisal Framework (TAF). The project objectives are set out below under the seven TAF headings:
Transport User Benefits and Other Economic Impacts
Improve the efficiency of journeys through and surrounding Foxford.
Accessibility Impacts
Encourage people to use more sustainable modes of transport in Foxford.
Social Impacts
Maximise the benefits for and minimise the impact on specific social groups in the area, whilst providing opportunities to improve the attractiveness of Foxford.
Land Use Impacts
Increase accessibility to public transport provisions.
Minimise impacts on Landholdings/Property.
Safety Impacts
Improve safety for all road users.
Climate Change Impacts
Reduce transport related emission.
Ensuring climate change resilience.
Local Environmental Impacts
Minimise the impact on environment whilst protecting and enhancing the natural assets and biodiversity of the local area.
Timelines
The envisaged timeline for the project is as indicated in the following roadmap.
