Over the past number of years, Monaghan County Council has been working in association with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, (TII) to develop a scheme to upgrade a 28km section of the N2/A5 Dublin-Derry Road. The proposed project is in County Monaghan and is called the N2 Clontibret to Border Road Scheme The project currently has funding from the EU’s ‘Connecting Europe Facility’ Fund, with match funding provided by the Department of Transport and administered by TII. Jacobs Consulting Engineers are the designer appointed to progress the planning and design of the project.
By March 2025 Jacobs had completed the necessary surveys/investigations to prepare an ‘initial design’ of the proposed road, and walking and cycling facilities. Jacobs met with directly affected landowners over a 3 week period in April 2025 to discuss the potential impact of the scheme on their lands. The ‘initial design’ was then published on the project website www.N2MonaghanLouth.ie so the general public could see the proposed route of the new scheme, and provide feedback.
The project will bypass Monaghan Town, Emyvale village and the settlement of Corracrin, removing traffic congestion, improving safety and enhancing the urban environment for all road users. A Type 2 divided dual carriageway cross section is proposed. The new road will have two lanes in each direction, with a narrow central reserve to provide safe overtaking opportunities. Access to the new road shall be via a number of strategically planned junctions, which will improve safety and travel times along the extent of the route. This may result in the local diversion routes to access the new N2 road where existing roads and junctions are impacted.
The project will create opportunities for new and upgraded footpaths and cycleways for Active Travel along the length of the scheme, providing safe infrastructure for more people to walk and cycle to work, and improving connections to amenities like the Ulster Canal Greenway and other local facilities. The majority of the Active Travel facilities will be provided along the route of the existing N2.
In response to feedback from the public and communities along the route, and from Elected Representatives in the area, Monaghan County Council and Jacobs are now holding a number of public information days. They will provide members of the public the opportunity to call in and meet a project team member to find out more about the road scheme and the ‘Initial design’, and to discuss the wider impacts of the project.
The public information days will be held in Clontibret Community Centre on Wednesday 16th July from 3pm to 8pm, Emyvale Recreation Centre on Monday 21st July from 3pm to 8pm, and Tyholland Community Centre on Tuesday 22nd July from 3pm to 8pm. Robert Burns, Chief Executive of Monaghan County Council advised ‘These events will be drop-in sessions. The project team will use an interactive map to show attendees the route of the proposed new road in relation to property or land. They will also explain how people can access the new road, and any potential diversions on the local road network resulting from the project. Additionally, the project team welcomes feedback from the community on the proposals before updating and finalising the design over the coming months’.
The design on display at these events will be the ‘initial design’, which was shown to landowners in April 2025, and is currently available to view on the project website. The ‘initial design’ is subject to change in response to feedback received, and while some feedback has already been received from landowners and stakeholders, no changes or alternations are available for discussion yet.
Cllr PJ O’Hanlon, Cathaoirleach of Monaghan County Council is encouraging people affected by the road to come along; ‘Monaghan County Council has organised these public information days in response to feedback from the public. This is an opportunity for anyone with an interest in the proposed road to speak to a project team member, get a better understanding of what is proposed and how it will impact them, and to give direct feedback or make a submission about any concerns or comments they may have.’
The public information events will be open between 3pm and 8pm, and members of the public can drop in any time. Please expect queues or delays at peak times, and access may be restricted in the late evening if there are high levels of demand. For anyone who cannot attend these information days, the project team can be contacted feedback via the N2 Project Phoneline 087 340 3786 or by email ClontibretBorder@N2MonaghanLouth.ie, and feedback or comments can be submitted in this way too.
