First phase of new Co Mayo road opens

Transport Minister Martin Cullen has officially opened the first phase of the new Ballina to Boholo road in north Co Mayo.

The National Road Authority said the 4.7km single-carriageway between Ballina and the townland of Carrowntreila was constructed on schedule at a cost of €16m.

It said the road would replace the existing N26 between the two areas and would cater for the 9,000 vehicles that use the route every day.

The Ballina-Carrowntreila road is part of a larger scheme to develop a new road from Ballina to Boholo.

The road, when completed, will join up with the N5 linking Dublin and Westport and will bypass Foxford and Swinford, which are on the current route between Ballina and the N5.