Major road to close for several months as part of bypass works along the Shannon

A SECTION of a major road will close this week until early next year to facilitate bypass works along the River Shannon.

The R494 will be closed to through traffic from Friday until early May 2024, to facilitate the ongoing work on the construction of the realignment of the Birdhill-Ballina road.

According to a notice published by Clare County Council, the closure is part of the Killaloe Bypass, Shannon Bridge Crossing and R494 Improvement Scheme, which is set to provide a western bypass of Killaloe, a new bridge crossing of the River Shannon and an upgrade of the existing R494 regional road from Ballina to the N7 at Birdhill.

The entire scheme is approximately 6.2km and will cross the River Shannon approximately 1km to the south of the existing Killaloe Bridge and will cross the Kilmastulla River (a tributary of the River Shannon and part of the Lower River Shannon SAC) on the R494. 

Clare County Council said they "greatly appreciate the ongoing support and co-operation from all members of the public who are directly affected by the works as they travel through the site each day."

"We acknowledge and apologise for the temporary disruption caused by the works," they said.