Has Noel Grealish pulled the rabbit out of the hat regarding the Claregalway bypass? There is much scepticism in the area about the ability of the Carnmore man to land the big road as he promised prior to the last election. And this week the waters have been muddied again.
Noel has announced that the planning and design stage of the Claregalway inner relief road has been granted €250,00 from the Department of Transport. The funds have been allocated to the Galway County Council to assist in planning the long-awaited bypass for the village of Claregalway.
After successfully negotiating to have the inner relief road included in the Programme for Government, he has been working closely with Galway County Council and the Department of Transport to move the project forward.
“This funding allows for the appointment of consultants, planning and design, and for the preparation of a business case and robust costing for this essential new road,” said Deputy Grealish.
“This commitment of funding represents a significant step forward for the Claregalway inner relief road,” he said.
Deputy Grealish added that despite reports that the Department of Transport were not prepared to fund this project, it has confirmed in writing that it will definitely be allocating the required funding for planning and design.
“This Claregalway inner relief road project is currently with An Bord Pleanala awaiting a decision on whether an environmental impact statement is necessary and I hope that a decision can be made on this in the very near future in order to move this essential project forward.”
Time will tell. Certainly if there aren’t diggers on site by 2011, he’ll have a battle on his hands.
