‘Told you so’ says Council as traffic gridlock grips Galway City

“We warned you” is the message from Galway City Council after traffic was brought to a standstill around the city this week.

And officials have advised motorists to find an alternative route while they carry out overnight works on Lough Atalia for three days at the beginning of September.

Lough Atalia inbound will be closed from the junction of Bóthar Páirc an Aonaigh (behind the Radisson) from 7pm to 7am on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 3 and 4, and on Tuesday September 10. The road closure is to allow works to be carried out to the water network.

Director of Services for Transport and Infrastructure, Ciarán Hayes, said the road will only be closed inbound, and that a diversion will be in place through the Fairgreen, Eyre Square, Victoria Place and onto the Docks.

He said that while schools will have just re-opened when the works are taking place, “there is a never a good time for road works”.

“We always have a difficulty with timing. Any earlier, and it would have coincided with the Arts Festival or the Races, any later and there is a greater likelihood of adverse weather conditions and then we’re up to Christmas.

“Hopefully, this will give us ample time to carry out these necessary works. That public road (Lough Atalia) is always busy because it is limited by Wolfe Tone Bridge.

“We don’t anticipate any huge impact in terms of back-to-school traffic, but where possible, people should use an alternative route,” said Mr Hayes.

Meanwhile, he accepted that the closure of the slip road off the Quincentenary Bridge was a contributory factor to heavy traffic across the city this week, particularly on Wednesday.

Mr Hayes said prior warning had been given about the ‘phenomenon’ that is Galway City traffic during August.

“We warned about this, both on radio and through the press last week. What we’re hitting now is the regular mid-August; the Leaving Cert result are out, the CAO offers are out, students are looking for accommodation, there is back-to-school traffic and tourist traffic.

“This is exactly why we gave advance warning. There is heavy traffic, we know why it’s there, we know mornings are quieter and that’s why we have advised people to make a choice about their journey, things will be easier if they come into town in the mornings,” said Mr Hayes.

He said the works on the Bodkin Roundabout at Galway Shopping Centre “have not given any difficulty yet”, but that the closure of the slip road off the bridge may have contributed to delays on Wednesday.

The Council previously advised that there would be no lane closures on the approach to the roundabout during peak hours.

However, Mr Hayes clarified that this referred to the roadway approaches, and not the slip road. He added that the project has not experienced any major delays and is still on track to be completed at the end of October or beginning of November.