Donegal County Council has welcomed the recent approval by Cabinet which will allow the TEN-T Priority Route Improvement Project Donegal to move to the planning consent stage.
The project will transform the core road network and includes significant active travel provision, according to the council.
A spokesperson said “It will be the single biggest road construction project in Donegal to date and aims to deliver significant improvements in three separate locations.”
The project represents an investment of more than €750m and will improve approximately 42km of national primary roadway in addition to improvements to the adjoining regional and local road network.
“The three sections of the TEN-T Priority Route Improvement Project Donegal, are:
- Section 1 – N15/N13 Ballybofey/Stranorlar Bypass
- Section 2 – N56/N13 Letterkenny to Manorcunningham, including a new Swilly Bridge
- Section 3 – N14 Manorcunningham to Lifford/Strabane/A5 Link
All three sections will now advance together through the planning consent stage which will see the publication of the EIAR (Environmental Impact Assessment Report) and CPO (Compulsory Purchase Order). The publication of the EIAR and CPO is currently programmed for Quarter 1 2025 and members of the public will be invited at that time to make submissions to An Bord Pleanála on the proposals.
An Bord Pleanála will generally convene an Oral Hearing for projects of this nature after the period for receipt of submissions on the EIAR and CPO has concluded. The Oral Hearing will be held in public in a venue in Donegal which will allow it to examine the views of stakeholders and the specifics of the project in more detail.
After An Bord Pleanála give approval Donegal County Council will work to advance the detailed design, tender documents, and construction tendering process.
Donegal County Council has a Land Liaison team in place for this TEN-T Project and they have been engaging on an ongoing basis with land and property owners that are likely to be impacted by the project. This team can be contacted on 074-9725315 should a land or property owner have any queries.
Further details on the project can be found on the project website www.donegal-ten-t.ie