Political storm over Galway City Ring Road funding

Galway City Tribune – Galway’s long-awaited €600 million bypass project could bite the dust if Fianna Fáil returns to Government after the next election, a Fine Gael Minister of State claimed this week.

West Galway TD, Seán Kyne, warned that the future of the Galway City Ring Road could be jeopardised in any future Fianna Fáil Government, following comments this week on RTÉ’s Radio 1 by a party Front Bench Spokesperson.

Minister of State Kyne said that the comments made by Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Communications, The Environment and Natural Resources, Timmy Dooley, on Tuesday’s Morning Ireland programme, had very serious implications for the future of city’s Ring Road project.

He said that Timmy Dooley’s remarks had followed on from Fianna Fáil’s support in recent days of a Green Party/ Social Democrats motion to delay or cancel key parts of the National Development Plan (NDP).

“We now know from the comments and actions of senior Fianna Fáil members that they will scrap key roads projects given half a chance.

“Mirroring the strategy of the Green Party, Fianna Fáil’s Timmy Dooley said on Tuesday that the national roads programme should be reprioritised.

However, West Galway Fianna Fail TD, Éamon Ó Cuív issued a statement in the wake of the Timmy Dooley interview, reiterating his party’s commitment to the City Ring Road project and accusing Fine Gael of ‘playacting’ over the Fianna Fáil position.

“Despite petty politics from Fine Gael, my party and I, remain fully committed to the delivery of the Ring Road in the city,” he said.
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