Lanes on stilts to keep bridge open during works

Date Published: 21-Jun-2012

BY CIARAN TIERNEY

Road users have been assured that a planned NUI Galway project to build a €1 million-plus underpass of the Quincentenary Bridge will not result in lane closures along the N6 route during the construction phase.

Instead, the College authorities are poised to put two additional temporary lanes ‘on stilts’ to maintain four lanes in both directions during the three to six months it is expected to take to build the underpass on the western banks of the River Corrib.

NUI Galway submitted plans late last month to Galway City Council for the construction of a new tunnel, approach road, and greenway enhancement project to improve pedestrian, cycle, and vehicular access to the northern part of the campus.

The existing underpass, built in the 1980s, is considered to be totally inadequate for the needs of the College’s 20,000-strong community in accessing facilities north of the N6 in Newcastle and Dangan, including Corrib Village and an award- winning new Engineering Building.

The plans include the realignment of the approach road and path under the bridge and a riverside walkway which will become part of the proposed ‘Greenway’ project, eventually linking the playing fields at Dangan with Fisheries Field.

“We have agreed a plan with the National Roads Authority (NRA) and we will not be closing any lanes on the N6 if we get the go-ahead,” said Greg Power, Planning and Projects Officer at NUI Galway, yesterday.

“During the construction phase, we intend to temporarily divert traffic onto new temporary lanes on one side. It is a condition of the project that four lanes will be open to vehicles on the N6 at all times. We will build two extra lanes on a temporary basis, diverting cars to one side.

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