MEMBERS of the public have been given an opportunity to view detailed plans for the proposed Enniskillen Southern Bypass at a community consultation event.

Held in the Waterways Ireland offices on Sligo Road, Enniskillen last Thursday, computer-generated images of the preferred route for the long-mooted project, which the Department for Infrastructure estimates will cost in the region of £25 to £30 million, were on display.

The event, which took place throughout the day, was held shortly after the Department had published a series of documents in connection with the proposed bypass, including an Environmental Impact Assessment and the Notice of Intention to Make a Vesting Order.

All of these documents were available for viewing on the day.

Departmental staff and members of the Consultant’s project team were also on hand to answer any questions that members of the public may have had.

According to the Environmental Impact Assessment, the aim of the proposed scheme is to alleviate traffic congestion within Enniskillen and provide improved journey times for strategic through traffic.

The Department estimates that the bypass would decrease journey times by around 50 per cent.

Furthermore, traffic modelling has indicated that the proposed scheme would reduce average journey times for A4 traffic travelling through Enniskillen by around six minutes.

The EIA states: “Enniskillen suffers from traffic congestion particularly at peak times because of the existing road network not providing sufficient capacity to meet the needs of local and strategic traffic converging at key junctions and river crossings within the town. This results in unreliable journey times for all traffic, driver frustration and a poor quality town centre environment for road users and the community.

“It is also the case that congestion levels are predicted to increase as the level of car ownership increases. As such, the current situation in Enniskillen is expected to worsen over time and negative impacts on the local population and town centre environment will intensify.”

The preferred route, announced almost three years ago, connects the A4 Dublin Road (just north of the Killyhevlin Hotel) to the A509 Derrylin Road (just south east of the A4 Sligo Road junction).

The new road will be 2.1km long and will require bridges over both the Erne and Sillees rivers. The carriageway will make provision for 2+1 differential acceleration overtaking lanes away from the new junction at either end of the bypass.

As part of the latest stage of the preparatory work for the scheme, the Department has proposed making an order vesting certain lands in the townlands of Scaffog, Carrigan, Drumgallan, Mullylogan, Gortadrehid Little, Gortadrehid Big, Lisgoole, Drumsna, Killyhevlin and Breandrum.

However, a spokesperson for the Department for Infrastructure has previously said that taking the project forward to the construction stage would ultimately depend on successful completion of the statutory processes and the future availability of finance.

The public is being asked to make representations by letter, email or via the Department’s website.

Details are available at: www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/contacts/dfi-roads-western-division-divisional-manager