More mayhem looming as three roundabouts set to be removed

Date Published: 12-Jan-2012

By Dara Bradley

Motorists are bracing themselves for major traffic disruption this Spring as construction work on removing three more of the city’s roundabouts will be carried out simultaneously.

Construction work on the removal of the Bodkin roundabout, next to Galway Shopping Centre on the Headford Road, to make way for a signalised junction is due to start in early March, after it was given the green light by city councillors at a meeting on Monday.

Bodkin is by far the biggest project of the six roundabouts in the city that are to be removed. It is also the busiest junction in the city and motorists are braced for delays, particularly given that construction work will overlap with the removal of two other of the city’s roundabouts.

Construction work on the Bodkin roundabout will take three months to complete – the contractors will be under time pressure to deliver the project before the arrival of the Volvo Ocean Race in June. It has been put out to tender and the selection process of contractors begins at the end of January with work to begin in March.

Galway City Council has confirmed that construction work on removing Font roundabout (Tuam Road) and Morris roundabout (Ballybane) will commence in mid-February.

Head of the Galway Transportation Unit, Joe Tansey, told the Galway City Tribune that traffic management plans will be put in place to minimise any disruption.

Briarhill roundabout (Lynch) was converted to a traffic lights signalised junction late last year, the first of six planned changeovers.

Mr Tansey said the traffic management plan at Briarhill during construction was successful. “Even the most sceptical person would admit that the plan worked, and we are fully confident that traffic management plans for the other roundabout works will keep traffic moving,” he said.

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