Three week road closure ahead in Portlaoise town

A busy but narrow road in Portlaoise town centre will shut during working hours for three weeks, for work to make a bridge safer.

Green Mill Lane is to undergo the next phase in a major project that is making the narrow and dangerous road safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.

Already Laois County Council purchased a house on the junction to the Ridge Road, enabling them to widen the road to two lanes and add a footpath.

Now they will close the road from Monday, April 15 to Friday, May 3, from 7.30am to 6pm daily. 

They intend to carry out "bridge abutment works", relating to the base of the historic stone bridge, now a bottleneck for traffic with no footpath. 

A Road Safety Assessment carried out by the council in 2022, recommends eight safety measures including:

• 1: Improve visibility at the junction of Greenmill Lane and N80 and Ridge Road and at roadside accesses along Greenmill Lane.
• 2: Provide traffic calming along the road between the N80 and Triogue Manor.
• 3: Provide raised controlled pedestrian crossings on Greenmill Lane and uncontrolled pedestrian crossings at accesses off Greenmill Lane.
• 4: Provide cycle facilities on Greenmill Lane, ensure facilities tie in conveniently and safely with the paths along the Triogue River.
• 5: Provide a footpath along eastern (Ridge Road) end of Greenmill Lane, with a crossing to the footpath on Ridge Road, however, this problem should be considered in conjunction with associated issues relating to this section of road and the solution should deal holistically with all deficiencies identified on this section of road.
• 6: Consider provision of an alternative cycle/pedestrian route through the Triogue Linear Park onto the Ridge Road.
• 7: Prohibit HGVs by placing a 3.5-tonne limit on Greenmill Lane at the east side of the access to Dunnes Stores deliveries entrance and at the junction with the Ridge Road.
• 8: Reconfigure tactile paving and carry out repairs to footpaths and utility covers.