07/02/2007 -

Irish Central Border Area Network (ICBAN) delivers for Sligo

Over the period 2003-2005, approximately 1m Euro has been delivered by the Irish Central Border Area Network (ICBAN) to fund various infrastructural improvements in County Sligo.

According to Senior Engineer Tommy Carroll ‘This has enabled Sligo County Council to undertake much needed improvements to harbours on the West Sligo coastline including Enniscrone, Easkey,  and Pollnadivva.  Amenity improvements have also been undertaken to the resorts of Mullaghmore and Enniscrone which included upgrading of streets, footpaths and public lighting making villages more pedestrian friendly while also enhancing the attractiveness of resorts as tourist destinations’.

Improvements were also undertaken to Raghly Harbour in North Sligo including a Feasibility Study which resulted in a major grant being secured from the Department of Marine and Natural Resources in 2006 allowing a major upgrade of harbours to commence. Improvements were also undertaken to regional routes in East of County Sligo.

Small realignment and resurfacing contracts were undertaken to Regional Route R290 at Ballygawley, R284 at Doonally, R287 at Correagh and R286 at Corwillick. Also enhancement works were undertaken to lay-bys on N16 at Glencar and R286 at Corwillick.

The undertaking of these works has improved access to areas of County Sligo which have suffered greatly from population loss over the period of troubles in the North of Ireland.  This was as a result of reduced access due to the closure of the Northern Railway network and the closure of cross-border roads which served this area.

The works also enable tourism to be promoted in the region with the resorts and harbours receiving significant investment in physical infrastructure attracting greater numbers of tourists to areas.