Gaeltacht Minister, Eamon Ó Cuív bas commited bis Department to providing a roads network in Connemara that wiII directly Iink every house in Connemara to a major road.

A new road, which wilI be an extension of the Galway City Outer Bypass, wiII be built north of the existing R336 - the Cois Fharraige coast road - but work cannot start on its construction until 2010. This wiII coincide with the completion of the fifth bridge and the Galway City Outer Bypass.

The news was announced at a meeting hosted by the Minister Ó Cuív in his Department's head offices in Furbo, with Connemara public representatives, Galway County Council and National Roads Authority executives.

Minister Ó Cuív told The Tribune yesterday that the design and planning of this road would be carried out by Galway County Council and that this part of the project would start immediately.

However, he did say that talk of a brand new road that would be built further north through bogland was "dead in the water" and wouldn't happen.

"It makes much more sense to build a road parallel to the coast road that would be linked to the Galway City Outer Bypass. The timing is perfect. It could take five years to design and plan this route and by then the City Outer Bypass should be finished.

"This road would be about a mile to a mile and a half north of the coast road and on the edge of the bog and would take the heavy vehicle and commuter traffic off the existing R336.

"It would also mean that every house in Connemara would be linked to a major road bringing them anywhere they like. It has always been my plan to have a strategic roads plan for Connemara."

The proposed new road would be a continuation of the City Outer Bypass through Tonabrocky to Furrymelia and then turning right to run parallel to the coast road as far as Ross a Mhil.

Minister O Cuív has provided €lOO,OOO to the Council's planning office to start work immediately on the project and has promised to commit to the provision of the new route. Earlier this year he sanctioned almost 1 million towards improving Gaeltacht roads. Other roads to be upgraded and improved will be the Screebe road linking the N59 (the Clifden road) and on towards Carna and Cashel, the road from Maam to Cong and Clonbur, the Derrynea to Screebe road and the road between Leitir Mealláin and Leitir Mór.

Chairman of the Galway Roads and Transportation Committee, Councillor Seosamh Ó Cuaig said he was very pleased with the outcome of the meeting, which was attended by a number of elected representatives from the area.

"The new road between Galway city and Ros a'Mhíl is very definitely on the agenda but I am also happy that improvements wilI be carried out to the N59 and on the road from Maam to Screebe.

"Five years has been mentioned as the time frame for the design of the new road but I believe that elected representative and the public wiIl have to keep it on the agenda by campaigning for its need. The NRA is not interested in creating new routes at all so we will have to keep this very worthwhile and necessary project alive.

"The coast road, Bóthar Chois Fharraige, takes an awful lot of traffic between commerical and private and it's time we provided another road to take the heavy vehicles."

Bernie Ní Fhlatharta Cúradh Chonnachtach 14/10/2005

Galway County Council is planning to build a top class road between Maam Cross and Screebe. This was promised at a meeting between politicians, GaIway County Council engineers and the National Roads Authority Chief Executive Officer, Fred Barry, on Monday.

Councillor Seosamh Ó Cuaig, Chairman of the Galway County Council Roads Committee, said the plan for the major upgrading of the road from Screebe to Maam Cross had better get moving now. "We will not be accepting a few shovels of sand," Councillor Ó Cuaig said in a comment afier the meeting.

It also emerged from the meeting that a senior roads design engineer said that work on a new Connemara to Galway road could begin in 5 years if no time was wasted on planning.

It also appears that the NRA are stressing that the route for a new road from west Connemara to Galway is a matter for the County Council to work out. More money is now needed for a study and plan and the County Council is looking for that from the Department of the Environment.

An Cúradh Chonachtach; 14/10/2005

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