Drivers to face two tolls on Gort to Tuam motorway

Date Published: 01-Jun-2011

Motorists are likely to face two tolls if a Spanish based company comes on board to construct the much delayed Gort to Tuam motorway – and it is understood that the locations for these have already been identified.

Sources within the National Roads Authority, who almost lost hope of the motorway ever being built, say that their new found interest is insisting on having two tolls on the route as part of the contract.

And it has been learned that one of the tolls will be located at Kiltartan, just north of Gort, while the other will be located in the Ballyglunin area to ‘catch’ motorists travelling from Tuam to Galway.

But Galway West TD Noel Grealish said that this would be “a disaster” as it would result in regular commuters to Galway finding alternative routes to the city rather than having to pay a daily toll.

“There are around 30,000 vehicles using the existing N17 from Tuam to Galway on a daily basis and they are not going to use the new motorway if they are going to be hit with a toll. They will stick to the old road”, Deputy Grealish insisted.

The Gort to Tuam motorway project was thrown a lifeline three weeks ago – a Spanish based consortium approached the National Roads Authority expressing an interest in constructing the 57 kilometre stretch and promised that work could commence by the end of the year.

It is the same building company that built the M6 motorway from Galway to Ballinasloe which was opened in early 2010.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.