Mayor hopes Outer Bypass will be open by 2019
The construction of the Galway City Outer Bypass and the redevelopment of the Docks will be key areas in the economic growth of the city over the coming years, the Mayor of Galway Donal Lyons has told An Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
Deputy Lyons, in a keynote address to the Galway Chamber of Commerce this week attended by the Taoiseach, said that the completion of the City Outer Bypass by late 2019, would be a critical infrastructural development.
“The NRA and the Department of Transport attach great priority and significance for this vital piece of infrastructure. If the project completes its planning process by the end of 2016, it is reasonable to presume that the new bypass will be in place by late 2019,” said Mayor Lyons.
The Mayor said that he also warmly welcomed the upcoming publication of the draft legislation to transfer the ministerial shareholding in Galway Port to Galway City Council.
“I also welcome the upcoming Oral Hearing that An Bórd Pleanala will hold in early 2015 in relation to the proposed major expansion of Galway Port. Development at the harbour can transform the city from an economic, tourism, land use and a recreation and amenity perspective,” said Cllr Lyons.
He added that on another infrastructural level, the recent signing of contract documents for the expansion of the Mutton Island Waste Water Treatment Plant would ensure that Galway city would have adequate waste water capacity for years to come.
Mayor Lyons also called for a major push to try and secure the 2020 European Capital of Culture title, something that could provide a major economic boost for the city.
“European designation will be transformational for the city and the region. Recent European Capitals of Culture have recorded growth rates, year on year, in tourist numbers of between 12% and 25%, not only in the designated year but years afterwards,” he said.
The Mayor also called for a rebranding of the city to include all of its many different facets such as arts and culture, as a seat of learning with its third level institutions, and as a cluster city for the medi-care and information communications technology sectors.
He also said that Galway city and county must not operate in isolation from each other with both areas intrinsically linked and very much interdependent.
“Upwards of 30,000 people every day commute from Galway County into Galway City for employment and study.
“It is, therefore, very important that the city continues to grow economically to underpin its role as the regional capital of the West of Ireland,” said Cllr Lyons.