Relief road option in Mayo village would run through local supermarket
Relief road plans for the village of Cong are causing concern.
South Mayo councillors say the number of proposed routes for the Cong relief road is causing considerable anxiety in the community.
Cllrs Damien Ryan and Michael Burke told a meeting of Mayo County Council that streamlining the number of route options would aid community unease.
Up to 11 ‘lines’ for the route were revealed during public consulation but local councillors say the majority of these routes are never likely to happen. One of the routes would cut straight through the local supermarket.
Cllr Ryan said these lines should be removed as soon as possible.
“I think the concern is around lines that maybe won’t feature whatsoever. At the moment we have 11 lines on a map, surely when we get down to two or three we could have an information evening and more consultation around that. There is concern, some of it justified, and some it down to fear and anxiety because of some of the routes."
Cllr Michael Burke said the approach being taken has “opened up a nest in Cong” that will be difficult to resolve.
“This has caused so much mayhem,” he commented.
The council's Director of Services Tom Gilligan said he understands that some people in the locality are “angsty” and “jittery”. He said it is likely to be the last quarter of this year or the first quarter of 2026 before preferred routes are selected.
Residents in Cong have launched a petition objecting to a proposal to build a relief road that’s designed to remove traffic from the village centre. It calls on Mayo County Council to halt the current phase of the development and to hold a meeting with residents to hear their concerns. It accuses the local authority of pushing through its proposal “with little to no publicity, with much haste and most importantly, with next to no contact or discussion with the people of Cong”.
The petition states: “As the people of Cong, we feel the routes fail to meet the outlined objectives and needs of Cong and moving to a single candidate route at this time is extremely premature in the absence of meaningful public consultation and detailed surveying. We do not support the proposed routes and feel that other alternative options need to be explored.”
