Kirwan roundabout proposal due back in Council next month

Galway City Tribune – The proposal to transform the Kirwan Roundabout near the Menlo Park Hotel into a four-arm, signalised junction is due to be back before the March meeting of the City Council.

The public display and submissions element of the Part 8 planning process is due to conclude in mid-February and will be discussed at a full meeting of the City Council in March.

Despite strong local opposition to the project – based mainly on the diversion of Coolough Road traffic onto the Ballindooley Cross side of the N84 Headford Road – councillors voted 11-7 last December in favour of the new junction going ahead.

City Council Senior Engineer, Uinsinn Finn, told the Galway City Tribune that following the public display and submissions element of the Part 8 process, the project would then be back before the March meeting of the City Council.

“We would expect, that subject to approval from the City Council, the detailed design stage of the project and the land acquisition process, would then be completed through the course of this year.

“Everything going to plan, realistically, we would expect construction work on the project to begin in early 2019 – it is estimated that it will take approximately six months to complete work on the junction,” said Mr Finn.

The Part 8 planning process is used for public developments such as roads, housing and sports facilities and is designed to maximise public consultation and the taking of submissions from the general public on a particular project. It requires a number of votes from elected councillors to get Part 8 projects passed.

The four arms of the proposed new junction will be the Headford Road (2, both in and out of town); Bothar na dTreabh, linking up to the Fleming’s Garage junction on the Tuam Road; and Sandy Road, feeding into Liosban Estate, Sean Mulvoy Road and the Cemetery Cross roundabout.
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