Funding for Quirke Road means work starts in June

Date Published: {J}

BY ENDA CUNNINGHAM

WORK on the long-awaited widening of Seamus Quirke Road to a four-lane carriageway is set to commence in June, after Galway City Council received a further €2m in funding from the Government yesterday (Monday).

Councillors were given the good news at a local authority meeting last night that the Department of Transport has allocated €3.725million to the City Council under Regional Roads Grants.

Of this, €2m is specifically earmarked for the Seamus Quirke Road project, which is estimated to cost a total of €12m to €14m.

Director of Services for Transportation and Infrastructure Ciarán Hayes told councillors: “We are going to tender for Seamus Quirke Road with a view to being on site in June. There will be a Traffic Management Plan in place, and it will provide a big improvement to transport in the west of the city.

Last year, the Government withdrew funding for the project as part of their swingeing budgetary cuts, but it was placed ‘back on the table’ after the Council successfully applied for another €2m in funding from the BMW Regional Assembly.

The road project – which was given the final approval by An Bórd Pleanála in 2002 – involves the widening of the road to dual carriageway status along a 1.6km stretch from the roundabout at Fort Lorenzo on the Bishop O’Donnell Road, through the Seamus Quirke Road and on to the Corrib Park roundabout.

It will allow for bus priority lanes through the Westside.

Meanwhile, €300,000 was allocated for improvement works on the Wolfe Tone Bridge; €50,000 for improvements to the junction of the Clybaun Road and Rahoon Road; €25,000 for the junction of Maunsells Road with Shantalla Road; €25,000 for a pedestrian crossing at Knocknacarra Cross and €20,000 for improvements on the Castle Park Road.