Racegoers to benefit from new motorway

Date Published: 09-Jul-2009

RACEGOERS heading for the Ballybrit Festival will be on at least one winner – from the point of view of the thousands driving to Galway. For, a further new stretch of motorway to the west is due to open just in time for the Festival.

It is understood that Taoiseach Brian Cowen will ‘do the honours’ when the 20 kilometre stretch linking Athlone and Ballinasloe opens on July 23, a matter of days before the trek to Galway for the Races begins for tens of thousands of motorists.

The new €97 million road brings closer to reality the dream of a motorway standard road all the way from Dublin to Galway, but the new road to be opened in time for the Races will only bring traffic to
the outer eastern limits of Ballinasloe.

Work is progressing on the further 57.6 kilometre €605million link from west of Ballinasloe to Galway, and the Chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport, Dail Deputy Frank Fahey, said this week that this further new stretch would be…