Wicklow County Council has reached a deal with developers to start construction of the northern ring road in the town of Blessington, Ireland.
Two preferred routes have been chosen, one to the north end of Blessington – historically known as Ballycomeen – and the other to the south of the town, which lies on the banks of the river Wicklow. The ring road is sometimes referred to as the inner relief road.
Blessington is around 25km southwest of Dublin and is situated on the N81 road, which connects Dublin to the small market town of Tullow, about 75km away. Traffic is becoming a major issue for Blessington whose population has doubled from around 2,500 in 2022 to more than 5,000 now.
The purpose-built route will link existing sections of the road between the Naas Road and the Blessington Industrial Estate junction and between the N81 south of the town and the Kilmalum Road.
In May 2022, the Irish Independent newspaper reported that Wicklow County Council had appointed consulting engineer DBFL to progress the project through all phases of construction.
