Roundabout plan set back again as second firm pulls out

Date Published: 07-Jan-2013

BY CIARAN TIERNEY

The ill-fated plans to convert the city’s busiest roundabout into a signalised junction has been beset by a further delay as it emerged yesterday that the Bodkin Roundabout contract at the Galway Shopping Centre has to go out to tender for the third time.

Almost a year after original contractor Roadstone withdrew from the contract to upgrade the roundabout, the City Council confirmed yesterday that a second firm, Clare Construction, had pulled out of the project.

Work was originally due to get underway on the changeover in January of last year, before Roadstone’s withdrawal on February 24, and it was then put back until after the Galway Races before a start-up this month was agreed with the contractors.

Yesterday, however, Director of Services Ciaran Hayes confirmed that the local authority would have to put the project out to tender for a third time and a start-up date of March or April has now been targeted by the local authority.

It was decided not to go ahead with the project last summer because of the impact which ten weeks of roadworks would have on traffic during the peak summer festival season.

However, Galway City Council staff have already begun work on a slip-road to link the Sean Mulvoy Road with the Galway Shopping Centre, including the realignment of car parking spaces, before the five exit roundabout is converted into a four leg junction.

“We have done some site surveys and the ground conditions we have in that area are particularly adverse,” said Mr Hayes. “Soft ground is a feature of that area. There is probably a bit of extra work involved. Extra site investigations are needed and it’s expected now that work will commence on the changeover in March or April.

“Clare Construction are no longer the contractors for this project and it is going out to tender again. We are able to use our own Council staff to undertake the accommodation works ourselves and site clearance works are being carried out before we construct the new approach road and close off access to Galway Shopping Centre from the roundabout.”

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