Safety work to be carried out at deadly junction

Essential safety measures are to be carried out at a junction in East Galway, which has been the scene of around a half dozen serious accidents – including one fatality.

That saw a man in his thirties killed 15 months ago following a collision with another vehicle at Nutfield Cross, on the road between Ballinasloe and Kilconnell.

There have been repeated calls on Galway County Council to carry out safety measures at the junction.

Cllr Aidan Donohue and Roscommon/Galway candidate Cllr Maura Hopkins met with the Transport Minister and this week it was announced that €70,000 would be allocated to realign the junction.

It is hoped that the funding will allow the junction to be staggered – similar to the works that were carried out at Cossan Cross near Athenry and Ballinamore Bridge.

The difficulty for motorists approaching the main Ballinasloe to Kilconnell road is in identifying the ‘stop’ sign at the junction; it is obscured by overgrown shrubbery.

“It is a straight crossroads and motorists coming from the minor roads often cross without looking. It has been the scene of quite a number of serious accidents in recent years,” explained Cllr Donohue.

In October 2014 a man in his thirties died after the car in which he was a passenger collided with a second vehicle at the junction.

The female driver was taken to Portiuncula with serious injuries, according to Gardaí at the time.

The male and female occupants of the second car were taken to the same hospital, but their injuries were not life-threatening.

Cllr Donohue said that he would now be asking the roads section of Galway County Council to get a design in place for a staggered junction. This will probably involve negotiations with local land owners.