The road will improve everyday journeys for 1000s of students, particularly for five nearby schools: Hansfield Educate Together National School, Hansfield Educate Together Secondary School, Ériu Community College, Castaheany Educate Together National School and St Benedict’s National School, by offering better cycling and walking routes. The scheme aligns with national and local strategies, including Housing for All, the National Development Plan, the National Planning Framework, the Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy and Fingal’s Climate Action Plan.

The road provides 2km of new carriageway with segregated cycle tracks and footpaths, linking the Barnwell Roundabout in Ongar to the R149 at Barberstown Lane South. It also includes an upgraded Barberstown Lane and a new single span bridge over the Dunboyne railway line, designed to accommodate future electrification and bus priority. New walking and cycling routes, which will encourage greener travel methods, are incorporated beneath the bridge, with the northern link already operational.

John Lucy, Director of Civil Engineering at BAM UK & Ireland, said: “The completion of the Ongar Barnhill Road is a significant step forward for the local transport network. Delivered in close partnership with Fingal County Council, the new road, junctions and bridge improve connectivity between Ongar and Barnhill, create a safer, more efficient route for all users, and support future public transport upgrades- benefiting families, businesses and the wider community.”

The project has been designed by Clifton Scannell Emerson Associates and delivered by BAM on behalf of Fingal County Council’s Infrastructure and Transport Department.

The opening was marked by the Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Tom O’Leary, Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, Jack Chambers TD, and Fingal County Council Chief Executive, AnnMarie Farrelly.