€8.5m road project may be scuppered – on principle!

An €8.5 million fund for a road project in North Galway could be squandered by councillors in Galway – on a matter of principle!
A meeting in September is the ‘last chance saloon’ for a road widening project on the main Galway to Roscommon road to be accepted.
And if councillors do not vote by a majority to allow the project to proceed, then it is likely that the National Roads Authority will pull the funding.
The main contentious issue is the removal of the railway bridge in Ballyglunin to facilitate the road widening project. There is no commitment on the part of Irish Rail to replace it immediately after the works are completed.
Those councillors who still believe that trains will run between Tuam and Athenry are vehemently opposed to this and could, in fact, vote against the much-needed road widening scheme.
Between the road widening from Annagh Hill towards the village of Abbeyknockmoy, the removal of Ballyglunin Bridge and the compensation to property owners along the route, it is now understood to run to a massive €8.5 million.
Cathaoirleach of Galway County Council, Cllr Pete Roche, who is native to the area, said that he would be doing his utmost to ensure that the road widening project went ahead. “It would be embarrassing if this money went to some project in another part of the country,” he pointed out.
Cllr Roche said that there was a commitment or ‘letter of comfort’ from Irish Rail that they would replace the bridge when they deemed it necessary to do so. They did not rule out the possibility of the rail corridor being reopened at some future point.
But there are members of Galway County Council who have become so entrenched in their belief that the rail corridor reopening will be compromised by the bridge removal that they are willing to vote against the road widening project.
They fear that if the bridge is removed, it might never be replaced therefore jeopardising any prospect of the rail corridor being reopened. They also do not want it turned into a walking and cycling greenway.
“This is my parish and I am determined not to allow this sort of money to be withdrawn from this hugely important project. There will be uproar if this happens,” Cllr. Roche added.
The height of the controversial bridge has made it extremely difficult for larger trucks and lorries to pass underneath and that is why it is being removed as part of the project.