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AN BORD PLEANÁLA (ABP) has given the green light to the proposed N6 Galway City Ring Road, an 18km road aimed at alleviating traffic congestion in the city.
It follows months of deliberations and an extensive oral hearing, which was held last year.
The €600 million road will run from the existing R336 Coast Road west of Bearna to tie-in with the existing N6 at Coolagh Junction.
A new bridge and viaduct will be constructed over the River Corrib, along with two tunnels on the east side of the city.
It’s hoped the road will reduce traffic congestion and improve journey times in and around Galway city, where motorists have experienced long delays for years.
The current proposal was approved by Government over three years ago. However, the prospect of building a bypass for Galway city has been discussed for more than two decades and has not been without its controversies.
In April, Noteworthy and The Journal examined the controversy surrounding the road and spoke to some of the owners of 54 residences which are subject to compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) and will have to be demolished in order to build the road.
Critics have said that the road will not solve congestion problems and will simply be a costly, “overkill” solution to the issue.
Despite the controversies, Galway County Council, Galway City Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland have welcomed the decision to approve the road.
In a statement, the groups called it “welcome news for the thousand of commuters who travel to Galway on a daily basis”.
It is welcome news too for those using public transport who will see their journey times fall and for those who will be attracted to public transport because it can operate more efficiently and reliably.
“The Ring Road will solve the traffic problems in Parkmore and Ballybrit and open up greater employment opportunities for Conamara, the rest of County Galway and the wider region,” they said.
They added that while the road brings “many benefits”, they are conscious of the significant impact the road will have on many property owners, especially the residential properties affected by it.
“Unfortunately, given the significant constraints for developing new transport infrastructure in the urban environment and the linear nature of the City, avoidance of properties was not possible. The council will continue to engage as constructively as possible with each and every land and property owner along the route,” they said.
Subject to legal challenges, and available funding, the project can now advance to the next stages which include land and property purchase, design, enabling works, the procurement of a contractor and the main construction phase.
Galway County Council added that whilst it is difficult to determine timelines at this stage due to possible legal challenges, it is estimated that the final detailed design and tendering will take “approximately 18 to 24 months”.
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No doubt be built 2 lanes each way and be inadequate in a few years time! Should be minimum 4 lanes each way.
@kevinhunt101: nonsense. It will be plenty given the tunnels and free flow of traffic. However, regrettably judicial reviews, appeals to europe will likely mean it is never built. Galway will continue to suffer.
@Ger Murphy:
What I can’t understand is the greens objections… The city has no space for any alternative traffic solutions, public transportation is highly unreliable and the city while the highest users of bike outside Dublin has low density and high winds…
As simple cheap and quick help, let’s use American standards on ebike instead of EU (which is only a directive). They are more powerful and be more suitable to our low density urban areas
@Cowboy Ted: fhs grsenz are absolute phuckwits, that’s why. Their only idea is scam carbon taxes, which achieve absolutely nothing. These half wits are nothing but pretentious charlatans who just make sverything more expensive. Utter mow rons.
@Cowboy Ted: I can’t either – if we all made the switch tomorrow to electric vehicles, we will still need fecking roads to drive on.
@kevinhunt101: 4 lanes each way
@Ger Murphy: yep watch it jam up in 10 years time ! Build for 30/40 years later not 5 , population will I assume increase. All motorways should be min 4 lanes each way for future demand
@Seán O’Conchubhair: yes that how you future proof roads , think big not a crappy little Irish road system
Progress in Ireland is glacial, we need to stop the nimbyism and get a fecking move on instead of moving backwards we need to move on.
@Twitruser2021: It’s not even NIMBYism here as most people from Galway would absolutely want this road to begin construction tomorrow if it was possible. The greatest objectors here are people from well outside Galway, who have never had to sit in a car for over an hour to get from one side of a small city to the other.
It’ll be fought tooth and nail by the traditionalist hard core who are hard wired to fight any and all forms of change. What I find amusing is the idea that this can all be done for €600 million. Queue a 4 year delay and a billion euro overrun. Be great to see the traffic alleviated in and around the city. My favourite city in the country, just awful to get around in a car.
@Rostyballs78: Well, has there ever been a city that has had its traffic alleviated by building more roads? The M50 is here, widened and Dublin is still at gridlock which is just one immediate example.
Look at other cites who invested mainly in roads and you’ll see cars everywhere – roads breed cars.
We should be looking at what cities have done elsewhere that have been through this and come out the other side, and not just build roads which is our solution since the 50′s and look where it has gotten us.
But yep, another road willl fix it.
@Fozz: Changes have to happen to the existing city streets immediately after or in tandem with the road opening, i.e. network of quality cycle lanes, more pedestrian only streets, one way streets, bus only streets. Make the city all about pedestrian, cyclist and public transport. It won’t happen of course cause the city council aren’t proactive enough.
@Fozz: The first part of your answer is reflecting induced demand, which is a tough argument in transportation and city planning, where a new road gets built but congestion continues because it encourages more cars. The answer to your question though, is yes there are cities where new roads have relieved congestion, when correctly planned new roads ease can ease congestion by relieving the latent (existing) demand. I don’t think Galway will suffer from induced demand if they build the road to deal with todays issues but wait another 5 years and it will already be obsolete and that is the great problem of Irelands public sector – it is so massively ineffective and creates massive unnecessary delays that any project is already outdated, over budget and behind schedule before it starts
@Fozz: without the M50 Dubilin would be even worse. Roads going around a city keeps cars, trucks, vans etc out of the city and moving most of the time. Every bypass takes traffic out of the town it bypasses.
I can’t remember how many times this has been authorised already. Never seems to get started though.
Great news, but as already pointed out here, no doubt it will be appealed, and the long suffering citizens of Galway will be stuck in their traffic hell hole for decades to come. Whatever people’s views on building more roads, this is one road that should have been built years ago and it has to be built.
And so begins the urban sprawl that’s plagued Dublin
@John Black: It’s been put in at the current fringes of the city, totally different to Dublins M50 that was put in outside the existing city fringes at that time. A hard boundary has been put on the city by the road.
@Jason Walsh: Jason , what difference does it make to you in Kildare . Let us decide what we want for our city and you can worry about what happens with Leixlip or Naas or essentially your own county.
Paint the bridge green to keep the greens happy
I’ve heard this is going ahead so many times that I’ve now lost faith. This will take forever to build and is 10 to 15 years too late at this stage . I’ve gone to Ennis, Limerick and Athlone from East Galway quicker than getting around Galway city or it’s suburbs . Tradesmen hate pricing work in the city as you can lose up to two hours a day just driving to and from work thus prices for any trade work have gone through the roof in the city or suburbs
Without proper public transportation it will never work in Galway. I live in a city similar in size to Galway in Germany. Anywhere in the outskirts buses are coming every 10 minutes. People don’t really need timetables because of that. Now THAT is a reason for people not to use their car!!
@Johannes Baader: I am wondering how the people carry their weeks groceries on the bus…and then from the bus stop to the house?
As the current major 4 lane route from the M6 towards Barna drops from 100 km/h to 50 km/h, I won’t be surprised if on its opening in 2035, the new ring road is also posted with an equally ridiculous revenue motivated speed limit!
The G50
Thank the Gods
Put the greens under it.
First thing to do now…double that quote!
Waste of money, the traffic will be as bad in 20 years, The M50 was built, then widened and the traffic is just as bad in Dublin, money far better spent on a light rail system.
Hopefully this road is two Lanes and it has a cycle path by the side would a walking part but I’m guessing it’s just going to be two single and switch you just l nothing
They are trying to shove a turnip into a straw. This is no more than a vanity project born from the absolute requirement for a BIG solution. Over 90% of Galways traffic is destined for the City so when you use this road it ferries you quickly to back of queue you would have already been in.
1 road leading into city streets will have the same problem as 10 roads leading into the same city streets. €600m on problem that had being solved over and over in small European cities by proper public transport infrastructure. I new hospital at Merlin would be a far wiser use of this money.
Madness
@Paul Keane: ‘Over 90% of Galways traffic is destined for the City’ No, it’s not
I suppose we always need a road to nowhere it will fit nicely into our climate action plan probably getting us faster to the point of no return. Based on our track record of delivering large infrastructure projects it will cost 3 times the 60Om at least, Galway like other cities in Ireland outside the pale has NO public transport to speak off like light rail buses cycle paths etc, 600m would solve that problem get cars off the road get people to work school shops etc safely quicker and help in the climate change emergency. No better stick with the Stone Age plan more roads more cars more pollution.
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