Twelve years after upgrade works on the R336 Galway to Ros a’ Mhíl road were announced, and more than eight years since six indicative corridors were selected, a leading Galway TD is asking why "we are still waiting for a preferred route to be chosen".
Fianna Fáil Galway West TD Éamon Ó Cuív says the ongoing delays are "simply unacceptable", and are having "a negative impact on the area", with no planning permissions being granted along the six corridors in the Cois Fharraige area of south Connemara, while those options remain under consideration. He also describes the current state of the road as "totally inadequate". He adds: "I regret that this project which I provided the initial funding for has been left in limbo for so long."
Dep Ó Cuív is calling for a preferred route to be chosen and for Minister Ross to allocate funding to do this "immediately". He is also calling for the road to be constructed "in tandem with the proposed city outer by-pass", as otherwise, those travelling west to south Connemara, "will hit a bottleneck in Barna".
The Minister for Transport, Tourism, and Sport, Shane Ross, recently announced €20,000 is being provided this year for the project. The money is earmarked for an updated appraisal, including the business case, to progress the project, taking cost and environmental factors into account. Dep Ó Cuív also wants to see Minister Ross change the status of this road from a regional route to a national route. "It could act as an extension of the N6 Dublin to Galway road," he says, "allowing access to south Connemara."
