Road works are set to begin in the Ballyraine area in Letterkenny this month, but active travel plans continue to raise serious concerns with some local councillors.
Preliminary night works between the Creamery Roundabout and the Polestar are scheduled to start in the next 2 weeks, and will take place from 7pm to 7am.
The project will lead to new cycleways and new signalised junctions aimed at easing congestion and improving pedestrian safety.
Concerns about the schedule were raised at this month’s Letterkenny-Milford Municipal District meeting.
Councillor Donal ‘Mandy’ Kelly renewed his call for a postponement of active travel works in the town.
Last month, Cllr Kelly called for works on the Kilmacrennan Road to be deferred until after Christmas to improve traffic flow for the shopping season.
As councillors learned of upcoming works at Ballyraine, Cllr Kelly warned that businesses could suffer.
“It is madness starting these works in the middle of November in the run up to Christmas. My opinion is not going to change on active travel. That town is jammed to the hilt.”
Cllr Kelly said the town was already under severe pressure, with journeys from O Donnell Park to the bottom of the town taking 40 minutes on Wednesday morning.
“It is crazy, and for these works to start in the mouth of Christmas is only adding to the problem. If I had my way, I would rather they didn’t go ahead at all.”
Letterkenny Town Active Travel Works – R229 Kilmacrennan Road.
Cllr Kelly told the council that the town is getting a reputation online for traffic.
“You constantly see stories up on social media, saying ‘avoid Letterkenny, it is mayhem’,” he said.
“What is going to happen is people are not going to shop in Letterkenny,” Cllr Kelly said, adding that although the Ballyraine works are scheduled to take place at night, he feared “the obstacles are still going to be in the way during the day.”
Cllr Kelly questioned whether active travel funding could be diverted to other safety works, such as ramps and signage.
“We need to be clear if we can only use this money on cycleways and footpaths or can it be used elsewhere. If that is correct, then it’s time we started using it appropriately,” he said.
Cllr Gerry McMonagle disputed Cllr Kelly’s claims that active travel works are causing more traffic delays.
“To suggest that active travel on the Kilmacrennan Road is creating traffic congestion is not correct,” Cllr McMonagle said.
Cllr McMonagle argued that the influx of workers and students into Letterkenny every day, which doubles the town’s population to around 50,000, is the real cause of the problem.
“The active travel has not blocked a road or a lane yet,” said Cllr McMonagle.
“Traffic problems are from the volume, not the road works. We need to be upfront about that and we need to be putting in initiatives.”
Thursday’s meeting of the Letterkenny Milford MD also saw councillors approve a motion from Cllr Gerry McMonagle to invite Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien to visit Letterkenny and hear directly about the urgent need for investment in the TEN-T road network, including the Southern Relief Road on the Leck Road and the Northern Relief Road at Windyhall.
Mayor Ciaran Brogan has called for a meeting in Letterkenny with senior officials of Donegal County Council to address both congestion and public frustration. “It is how we manage this message and get a balance that Letterkenny is open for business,” he said.
Senior Roads Engineer David McIlwaine said concerns about the ongoing works on the Kilmacrennan Road will be relayed to the contractor. He noted that traffic management is in place and a two way flow is being maintained. He added that the issues raised will also be passed on to relevant sections such as TII, road design and the NTA.
‘Madness’ to start more road works in Letterkenny before Christmas was last modified: November 7th, 2025 by Staff Writer
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