“Nothing short of a disaster,” is how one county councillor has described the new signalised junction at the Kirwan Roundabout in Terryland, for which he said “heads should roll”.
The roundabout has been replaced with a four arm signalised junction, with upgrades to Bóthar na dTreabh, Headford Road, Sandy Road, and the diversion of the Coolough Road, to form a new signalised junction with the Headford Road.
.
However, Independent Galway county councillor, James Charity, said the new junction is “leading to unprecedented tailbacks for motorists trying to leave the city after work every evening”, while also “putting additional pressure on local roads in the Killoughter area”.
'Once those cars get through the junction after hours long delays, they're met by a second set of traffic lights almost immediately'
He has urged the Galway City Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland to “go back to the drawing board” and rethink the entire scheme. He went as far as saying that “heads should roll for whoever is responsible for its design and layout”.
In a statement issued on July 19, as the works neared completion, the Galway City Council said the Kirwan Junction Upgrade project - part of the N6 Multi-Modal Corridor Improvement Scheme - would “enhance connectivity at the junction and increase safety for all road users”.
.
Cllr Charity [pictured above], though, said he was “inundated” with messages and phone calls from “frustrated motorists”, who he said, were “caught in kilometres long tailbacks” approaching the junction every evening.
“Providing a left turning lane onto the N84 leaving Galway city, which can accommodate only four to five cars, is simply beyond belief,” he said. “Once those cars get through the junction after hours long delays, they're met by a second set of traffic lights almost immediately.”
He said the “huge build ups of traffic” over the Quincentennial Bridge and the junction is turning “what was a 20 minute approach into a three hour jam” for workplace commuters. “This is ludicrous and can't simply be explained by light sequencing or teething issues,” he said. “The whole junction is unfit for purpose and needs urgent reassessment."
