Two more sections of Greenway due for completion in July

Works are ongoing on several sections of the Boyne Valley to Lakelands County Greenway with two more sections due to be completed by the middle of July, while a 10km stretch is due to go out to tender shortly.

Cllr Eugene Cassidy, who has been a driving force behind the project, said he is confident that the 30km stretch from Navan to Kingscourt will be completed by next summer.

"Issues have arisen at some parts but thankfully these have almost been resolved. I suppose this is to be expected on such a major project as this. I'm sure other issues are still ahead of us that will have to be addressed but remember this greenway will there not only for our enjoyment but future generations to come. I am still confident that the 30 km from Navan to Kingscourt will be completed by next summer. Then the Boyne Valley to Lakelands County Greenway will be up there with the best of them," he wrote in an update on the project on his Facebook page.

To date, short sections of the greenway are open in Nobber and Castletown and work is ongoing to join up the two sections, which will provide 10km of greenway .

Cllr Cassidy said works are "absolutely flying" on the Castletown to Nobber section which is expected to open by the end of July. This section includes a pedestrian/cycle bridge over the N52.

The Wilkinstown to Gibbstown section is expected to be completed in the next month. Fencing, screening and agricultural crossings are near completion, iron rails have been removed from the Gibbstown entrance with the broken sleepers to follow. The weed barrier has been laid which is followed by the coarse stone and fine dust on top.

On the Gibbstown to Navan stretch, Tara Mines is replacing the existing water pipe with works expected to be completed by September and this will enable the greenway to be completed as far as the Rathaldron Road in Navan. The section between Wilkinstown and Castletown is due to go out to tender in the third quarter of this year with an anticipated start date early in the new year.

The greenway between Nobber and Kingscourt is to go out to tender in the coming weeks and Cllr Cassidy said they are just waiting for Transport Infrastructure Ireland TII to give the green light. The Nobber to Kilmainhamwood section, which includes the scenic Whitewood lake, will be opened first before moving on to Kingscourt.

Plans to develop the greenway further in Kingscourt and to take in Dun Na Ri Forest Park are also in the pipeline.

"There have been set backs and I am still expecting some more, but what we will have when finished is worth waiting for. I want to acknowledge the great work by Pat Shore and Kevin O'Reilly from Meath County Council, who are overseeing this project. Their attention to detail and commitment is exemplary," said Cllr Cassidy.