Official opening of new Mayo €300m. roadway is delayed by a month

The planned official opening of the new €300 million dual carriageway between Turlough and Westport on May 4 has been postponed.

Mayo County Council has contacted the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar's office outlining it won't be ready to open in the first week of May.

Mayo TD Alan Dillon has confirmed that in recent days the contractors on the N5 road project have indicated they are not confident that a date of late April for completion is likely.

Reasons for the delay include:

• Ensuring all signage, lining, safety barriers and snagging are complete so that a future road closure is not required to complete these works.

• A Road Safety Audit will need to be undertaken and any recommendation from same will need to be concluded before the road is open to traffic.

"They are confident that a month later, a date in early June will work.

"It is important all safety precautions are in place prior to the opening.

"I have also contacted TII and the Taoiseach's office to resolve the outstanding concerns presented by the Islandeady community," he added.