New path nears for Laois village from school to GAA field
A promised footpath between a Laois village's primary school and GAA grounds, is nearing construction after a year of delay.
Laois County Council had said in 2021 that construction of a footpath from Ballyroan village's school to the GAA grounds was to start that summer.
A year on, it has given much the same promise for 2022. The half kilometre of road to the sports grounds is on a dangerous bend making it unsafe for pedestrians.
Newly co-opted Cllr Barry Walsh tabled his first motion on the topic to the Portlaoise Municipal District.
Cllr Walsh replaced fellow Ballyroan resident Cllr Mary Sweeney after she retired, with the footpath being a project she had pushed for.
His motion requested an update and detailed timeline for design and construction of the path.
In reply, engineer Wes Wilkinson said construction will start in May at the earliest, with a contractor hired to do two Active Travel projects. The council will give a detailed timeline shortly.
Cllr Noel Tuohy congratulated him for “getting the school and GAA into his first motion”.
The cost of the path will come from the Government’s Active Travel Measures budget for Laois, which aims to get people out of cars and walking or cycling safely around the county.