N15 Ballybofey Stranorlar Bypass
Updated 28/09/11
Introduction
Ballybofey and Stranorlar are twin towns situated in County Donegal on the banks of the River Finn, north east of Lough Mourne. The N15 National Primary Route from Sligo via Donegal Town to Lifford passes through the Twin Towns and intersects with the southern end of the N13 National Primary Route to Letterkenny/Derry at a T-junction in Stranorlar. The Twin Towns experience regular problems with traffic congestion and the need for a bypass has been widely acknowledged in recent times.
The Need for the Project
The Ballybofey/Stranorlar bypass has been identified in County Development Plans for many years. The 1998 National Road Needs Study identified a bypass in Phase 1 of the Improvements Programme. The National Development Plan (2007-2013) re-affirms that there will be major improvements on National Primary Routes and identifies as a priority the Atlantic Road Corridor which includes N13-N15 (Sligo/ Donegal/ Lifford/ Letterkenny/ Derry).
Description of the Project
The proposed project involves the design and construction of approximately 15km of new National Primary Road to form a southern bypass of Ballybofey and Stranorlar. The project also provides for a new 1.2km long link road to be constructed to connect the new Bypass to Ballybofey and the existing N15.
The Bypass has a Type 2 dual carriageway cross section with short standard single carriageway cross section at the tie-ins. The Bypass starts at Meencrumlin beside Lough Mourne south of Ballybofey. A junction at this location will maintain access to the existing N15. The Bypass then moves south of the existing N15 and passes through the townlands of Croaghonagh, Goland, Meenglass, Carrickmagrath, Sessiagh-O’Neill and Navenny. At Navenny a link road will be provided to connect the Bypass with the town of Ballybofey and the existing N15. After Navenny the Bypass then continues through the townlands of Dreenan and Edenmore where a new crossing of the River Finn will be constructed. A roundabout will be provided where the Bypass crosses the existing N15 approximately 300m east of St. Joseph’s Hospital in the townland of Mullindrait. The Bypass then continues north through the townlands of Castlebane, Tircallan and Mullaghagarry and finally ties into the existing N13 at Kilross where the final junction on the Bypass will be provided.
A drawing showing the proposed layout of the Bypass can be seen by clicking on the link below.
Proposed Layout
Current Status
The Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the project were published on 3rd January 2008 however following an Oral Hearing An Bord Pleanala decided to Refuse to Approve the Environmental Impact Statement citing a number of reasons for their decision.
A bypass of Ballybofey and Stranorlar remains a priority for Donegal County Council as such it is proposed to prepare a new EIS to address the concerns of the Board and update the scheme to take account of recent changes in guidelines and design standards.
At present the National Roads Authority are not in a position to fund further work on this project and it remains on hold until funding becomes available.
Enquiries
Any enquiries should be forwarded to the National Roads Design Office at the Donegal Public Services Centre, Drumlonagher, Donegal Town or telephone (074) 9724500 for Brendan O’Donnell, Senior Executive Engineer or Fergus Towey, Executive Engineer. Alternatively e-mail design@dnrdo.ie.