130 Galway homes could be flattened to pave way for bypass

As many as 130 homes could have to be demolished to make way for the proposed new Galway City ring-road.
The proponents of the project, who have been working on it for over a year, have not yet made public the maps for the five new corridors for the new bypass that are under consideration.
But they have conceded that homes in the villages of Barna and Menlo will bear the brunt of the impact, as well as Dangan, Bushypark, Newcastle, Westside and Terryland, as the proposed routes of the new road cut through communities.
Some 300 homeowners have received letters informing them that their dwellings are along the corridors – it has been conceded that regardless of which route is picked between 30 and 130 houses will be demolished.
Galway County Council are driving the bypass project, which is now called N6 Galway City Transport Project, since the Galway City Outer Bypass (GCOB) was dropped following failure to get the go-ahead after European court decisions.
Fresh plans for the possible new bypass along a different route were outlined to City and County Councillors this week by representatives of Arup, a private consultancy, and the roads and transport section of the County Council.
Seven options are being considered – five are new route options for a ring road traversing the Corrib, one involves a public transport solution only, and the other option is upgrading the existing N6 through the city.
“Approximately 300 people will be notified that their dwellings may be within a potential route corridor for this project,” said Michael Timmins senior engineer at Galway County Council.
He said that as of yet all seven options have equal status – a preferred option will be chosen by April following public consultation.
City Councillor Pádraig Conneely said: “We have been told that under any of the five corridors, between 30 and 130 homes will be knocked. We acknowledge that there is a serious traffic problem in the city but any of the options under consideration will have a massive impact on people’s homes and properties and their lives and communities,” he said.

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.