Westmeath County Council in conjunction with Longford County Council, supported by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), wish to announce to all stakeholders, landowners, members of the public
and interested parties the selection of the Preferred Option (PO) for the N4 Mullingar to Longford
(Roosky) project.

This 52km section of the N4 is a single carriageway road that passes through or close to several
settlements, including Ballinalack, Rathowen, Edgeworthstown, Longford and Newtownforbes. This
section accounts for approximately 25% of the entire N4/M4 corridor and is the largest unimproved
section of this route.

The road services upwards of 17,500 vehicles per day and features more than 500 junctions and direct
accesses. This section of the N4 continues to see high collision statistics, with over 200 personal injury
collisions reported between 2008 and 2023. Of these collisions, 20 resulted in fatalities and 35 resulted
in serious injuries. Over 50% of the collisions resulting in fatal or serious injury occurred in the last 6
years, from 2018 to 2023, demonstrating an upward trend.

The Project Team are working to improve safety and connectivity between Mullingar, Longford and
onwards to Roosky. By resolving the network deficiencies along this section of the N4, the project will
enhance the overall accessibility in the region and to the West/North-West.

The project will aim to reduce traffic levels within the settlements along the route and allow for
reallocation of road space through the provision of dedicated walking, wheeling and cycling routes.
The project will also act as an enabler for strengthening tourism through improved connectivity
between Irelands Ancient East, Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands, and the Wild Atlantic Way.

The sustainability strategy for the project will support sustainable mobility options and the Climate
Action Plan targets for carbon dioxide (CO2) reductions through embedding best practice carbon
management throughout the project lifecycle, for example: through provision of electric charging
infrastructure.

The Emerging Preferred Route Corridor for the project went on display in July 2024, with 154
submissions being received as part of that public consultation. The Option Selection Process for the
scheme was then finalised, which considered submissions and feedback received, assisting the Project
Team to:

• Identify potential opportunities and constraints within the EPRC,
• Further inform the indicative Junction and Sideroad Strategy, and:
• Confirm the Preferred Option.

The Preferred Option (PO) has now been published. An overview map of the PO has been enclosed.
This is also available to view using the interactive mapping tool on the project website
(www.n4mullingartolongford.ie), to allow for a more detailed review of the PO. Additionally, the
Option Selection Report has been finalised and uploaded to the project website. There is a hard copy
of this report available to view in the Westmeath National Roads Office, which can be arranged by
appointment.

Following the selection of the Preferred Option, the next phase of TII’s planning and design process
(i.e. Phase 3 – Design and Environmental Evaluation) has now commenced. Subject to funding, this will
involve further development of the multi-modal transport solution, including the associated design
and the preparation of an Environmental Impact Assessment.

Throughout the Phase 3 process, the Project Team is committed to continuously engaging with people
living, working or who own land and property within the Study Area, however the design of the road
and identification of the impacts on land and property will take some time to develop.

In order to inform the design process, the Project Team will first undertake a range of engineering and
environmental site surveys. The design team will be in contact with relevant landowners to arrange
these surveys.

As the site surveys are completed, the initial design of the transport solution can be progressed. When
the design has reached a level of maturity where informed discussions can take place, the Project Team
will consult with directly impacted landowners in relation to the initial design and its impact on land
and property. Thereafter, feedback will be considered, and amendments may be made, where feasible,
before finalising the design.

If you have any further queries or feedback regarding the project, please do not hesitate to get in touch
via any of the communication channels below to arrange an in-person meeting, telephone call or
virtual meeting.

• Website: https://n4mullingartolongford.ie/
• Email Address: info@n4mullingartolongford.ie
• Postal Address: National Roads Office, Westmeath County Council, Culleen Beg, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath N91 T2PE
• If you do not have access to email or internet, please feel free to contact the Project Team on 086 059 9895 (9:00am to 4:30pm Monday – Friday).

The N4 Project Team welcome the opportunity to engage with you on the development of this major
infrastructure project and look forward to continuing to work with you as the project progresses.