The construction phase of the N2 Castleblayney to Clontibret Bypass has recently got underway, much to the relief of motorists travelling that route. We spoke to Monaghan County Council Senior Resident Engineer Sean McDonnell and Gama-Tubin Construction manager Peder Andresen about the impact the new road will have on every day life in the county. During the summer months and indeed the majority of the year, the roads are filled at the weekends by people travelling to support their local GAA teams. The success of Monaghan footballers in the last two years has increased interest in Gaelic football. However, being stuck in traffic jams has become a major drawback to travelling to high profile matches. The construction of the new bypass will aid among others GAA supporters, especially on the long trips to places like CrokePark, where the county have become accustomed to playing in. On October 11th 2005, Gama-Tubin construction, which is a subsidiary of Gama Construction Ireland, signed a contract with Monaghan County Council to build a motorway from Castleblayney to Clontibret. The purpose of the two-plus one road is to relieve the traffic in Castleblayney town and the motorway will consist of 14 bridges and underbridges in total. Costing in the region of E56 million, the project is one of the biggest road developments currently under construction in Ireland. The Scheme, the largest ever undertaken by Monaghan County Council consists of approximately 15.9 km of 2 plus one carriageway, providing a bypass for traffic on the N2 National Primary route to the town of Castleblayney and the villages of Annyalla and Clontibret. A two plus one road consists of two lanes in one direction of travel and one lane in the opposite direction.  The two lane section which provides a safe overtaking zone alternates with a one lane section at intervals of two kilometres approximately," said Sean. The traffic streams are separated by a safety barrier system which prevents overtaking maneuvers on the one lane section. This project is one of four Schemes chosen by the National Roads Authority to pilot the 2 + 1 type road in Ireland. This road type was pioneered and is used extensively in Sweden. The Swedish experience of the 2+1 road layout has been very positive with reductions of up to 50% in the numbers of fatal head on accidents reported. The Castleblayney to Clontibret road realignment is the second of these four pilot schemes to go to construction and will be the first 2 + 1 scheme. "The construction of the N2 Clontibret Castleblayney Bypass and the N2 Monaghan Bypass will complete the upgrading of the Derry Dublin National Route from north of Monaghan Town to the Capital. The timesaving and relative safety of the route will be a positive boon to all users and will further enhance the attractiveness of County Monaghan as a great place in which to live and work and a destination for recreation," added Sean. Atkins Consulting Engineers were appointed by Monaghan County Council to progress the Scheme from Preliminary Design to construction stage. They will act as Monaghan County Councils representative in the administration and monitoring of the Scheme during construction stage "This Scheme together with other road improvements in the recent past are of critical importance to the County and region, as good access is the key to the future development of a strong and vibrant economy," he added. Significant reduction in traffic volumes in the towns of Castleblayney, Clontibret and Annyalla will yield huge environmental dividends in terms of air quality, a reduction in noise and traffic congestion. The Blayney bypass is the third road project that Gama has undertaken in addition to the Ballincollig Bypass Project in Co. Cork which was completed six months ahead of schedule last year and the ongoing Ennis By-pass project in Co. Clare. Which is be opened by the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern on the 15th of December 2006, 4 month ahead of schedule. [Please insert] Gama pursues its operations in Ireland through Gama Construction Ireland Limited, a subsidiary of Gama International BV and Gama Power Systems Engineering and Contracting Inc. Gama Construction Ireland was founded in November 2000 in Dublin and increased its presence in the Irish market in a very short period of time. The company is involved in the construction and erection of industrial plants (including power, oil and gas, petrochemical plants), as well as construction of business complexes, motorways, bridges, dams, water and sewage treatment systems. Construction manager Peder Andresen revealed that the project was well on schedule and that barring any major setbacks should be finished on time. "The completion date for the project is August next year and we are well on target to be finished at that time, depending on how severe a winter there is," said Peder. There is 60% of the work complete now and we are at an advanced stage of the construction work. A lot of work has been subbed out to the specialist contractors and we have found everyone to be reliable and efficient in their work." However, Peder admitted that very few rival Gama when it comes to professionalism, efficiency and reliability as they have an excellent reputation in the industry. They are a very professional organisation and I must say I am delighted to be working for them. "I'm very happy with the company as their policies meet my expectations of a firm of their standing and its great to be involved with a business of such high quality," stressed Peder. During its 45 years of operations, Gama has become a reputable international company with its strong financial structure and specialist workforce, conducting activities over a wide geographical area, covering the Middle East, Russia, South East Asia, North Africa and Ireland. Peder said that the new bypass would be a huge boost to Monaghan people in general and will enhance the countys reputation of being a thriving industrial centre. "Castleblayney will be relieved of the heavy traffic volumes that menace its attractive centre.  It will be a major boost to the accessibility of Monaghan Town and its status as a hub in the area," he concluded. Tweet

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