R319 road (Ireland)

The R319 road is a regional road in County Mayo, Ireland. It is the main road to Achill Island from the rest of the country.

R319 road shield}}
R319 road
Bóthar R319
Michael Davitt Bridge, Achill Island, Co Mayo.jpg
The Michael Davitt Bridge on the R319 connects Achill Island to mainland County Mayo.
Route information
Length35 km[1] (22 mi)
Location
CountryIreland
Primary
destinations
Highway system

Route

The road is the main route onto Achill Island from the mainland (via the Michael Davitt Bridge) and connects the N59 at Mulranny (a national secondary road to the rest of Ireland) via Keel and Dooagh to Keem Strand on the island, 35 kilometres (22 mi) away.[2][1]

The first part of the route follows the Great Western Greenway, a former railway line extension from Westport towards Achill.[3] It gets gradually narrower and windier as it approaches Keem Strand, ending with a series of hairpin bends before a car park next to the beach.[4]

The first bridge over the Achill Sound was constructed in 1887. It was rebuilt in 1947 and again in 2008, the latter costing €5 million.[5]

The road is part of the Atlantic Drive on Achill Island, and popular with holidaymakers.[6][7] The remainder of the Atlantic Drive route around Achill is signposted onto local roads where they follow the coastline more closely.[8]

Maintenance

The road is narrow and uneven in places, and below the standard required for modern road traffic.[9] In April 2017, the bridge between Mulranny and Tonragee was reduced to one lane of traffic as it had become unstable. Repairs were carried out throughout the year. A local councillor complained that the works were not considered important by the Department for Transport as it was only a regional road, as opposed to the nearby N59.[10] In 2019, a local group petitioned the Department of Transport and Mayo County Council to urgently improve three bridges along the R319.[9]

In 2023, the local council complained again about a lack of investment on the road. One councillor said it had "more humps and hollows than a camel’s back", explaining around €3 million was needed to bring the road up to acceptable safety standards.[1]

References
  1. "Government accused of deliberately thwarting county's development". Mayo News. 22 February 2023. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  2. "S.I. No. 54/2012 — Roads Act 1993 (Classification of Regional Roads) Order 2012". Irish Statute Book. Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  3. "Great Western Greenway, Co Mayo: The most scenic in Ireland". The Irish Times. 4 August 2018. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  4. "Road R319 travels by hairpins to the edge of the sea". Dangerous Roads. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  5. "New bridge at Achill to open this week". The Irish Times. 29 October 2008. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  6. Back Roads Ireland. Dorling Kindersley. 2010. p. 196. ISBN 978-1-848-368804.
  7. Brewer, Stephen (2008). The Unofficial Guide to Ireland. Wiley. p. 68. ISBN 978-0-470-28568-8.
  8. "Scenic driving routes". Visit Mayo. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  9. "Petition launched calling for improvements to R319 in Achill". Mid West Radio. 10 April 2019. Archived from the original on 15 June 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  10. "Work on repairing Achill bridge starts". 3 October 2017. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
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