Galway City outer bypass plan remains on schedule

The application for the proposed new city bypass is on track to be submitted to An Bord Pleanála in the first quarter of next year.

Galway County Chief Executive Kevin Kelly told this month’s Galway County Council meeting that the N6 Galway City Transport Project project was going through the statutory process and executives had held a number of pre-planning consultations with members of the planning appeals board.

Council officials intended to put variations of the county development plan before councillors to vote on in advance of the application.

The proposed ring road – much nearer the city than the original route of the failed outer city bypass – is a continuation of the M6 motorway at Doughiska and will involve the construction of a new bridge across the Corrib, with the road skirting around Dangan and Glenlo Abbey before hitting the Coast Road at Barna.

The road is continuing to have a devastating social and financial impact on dozens of landowners across Connemara as their land remains frozen from development until the project gets the go-ahead.

Eight routes identified as a possible alternative R336 road between Barna and Rossaveel and onto Scriob, linking to the ring road, remain on the drawing board.

Three Connemara Councillors complained that these landowners were being held to ransom since the routes were identified as far back as 2009. They could neither sell the land for sites or pass it onto their families to build their own homes.

Cllr Noel Thomas queried why they could not pick a preferred route at this stage and take the others off the table.

Director of Services for Roads and Transportation, Liam Gavin, said it was imperative to maintain a number of corridors open for road development from an economic and environmental point of view west of the county.

“But we will be revisiting that in the near future,” he stated.

“It is very, very important we keep our options open. That is fiercely important. The eight routes will remain on the map, particularly in light of what happened with the N59,” he exclaimed, referring to the refusal by An Bord Pleanála for part of that project to go ahead due to environmental concerns.

Cllr Sean O’Tuairisg (FF) asked if the near future was in ten years’ time. He said he knew locals who were moving away as could not get planning permission to build family homes.

Some 240 landowners along the defunct Galway City Outer Bypass Route had their lands frozen for 15 years after the project stalled and was finally shelved.