End of the road for Galway's transport projects

Hundreds of millions of euro worth of roads projects planned for County Galway have been kicked to touch as part of the Government’s spending cutbacks.

But it has come as no surprise that the Gort to Tuam motorway, despite the fact that around €140 million of taxpayers’ money has been spent on the route so far, has been sidelined.

Of course the derailing of road projects doesn’t just affect the west, with Transport Minister Leo Varadkar reportedly ordering the National Roads Authority to stop work on 45 projects - in addition to 40 others already suspended.

Among the projects here to be axed is the Claregalway bypass even though consultants have been appointed to progress this project to the compulsory purchase stage.

There will also be disappointment that the Galway to Clifden road upgrading, which includes the Moycullen bypass, will be put on the long finger.

It also means that no bypass will be provided in Tuam, now one of the worst bottlenecks in the country, for several years at least.

However, it has been suggested that the Gort to Tuam motorway be constructed on a phased basis with the project tendered out section by section.

Cllr. Sean Canney said that it could start with the Tuam bypass, the next phase would be from Tuam to Rathmorrissey (near Athenry) where it would intersect with the Galway to Ballinasloe motorway, with the final phase being to Gort.

But a senior roads official with Galway County Council said that this was unlikely to happen as the project could cost even more to complete – given that the longer the stretch of motorway, the cheaper it would be to construct.

See full story in this week's Connacht Tribune.