Galway voters should make the upcoming local elections a referendum on the city outer bypass, according to Fianna Fáil TD and chairman of the Oireachtas Transport Committee, Frank Fahey.
Dep Fahey believes that the Galway City Outer Bypass is the “single most important infrastructural project in Galway right now” but it is being held up “because of a lack of support for the project at city council level.
“Six of the outgoing city councillors are on record as being against the bypass,” alleged Dep Fahey. “They are Labour councillors Colette Connolly, Billy Cameron, and Tom Costello; former Labour councillor Catherine Connolly; Daniel Callanan; and Niall Ó Brolcháin.”
He said: “Galway city is being choked with traffic as it stands. It needs this bypass and the fact that it is not being supported at council level is very disturbing.”
Dep Fahey said that in Limerick, the new €810 million tunnel is progressing, despite planning issues related to a Special Area of Conservation. A €650 million bypass is also being built in Waterford where, similar to Galway, the city was coming under severe pressure from through traffic. The bypass started in April 2006 and it will be finished this year.
Dep Fahey said the Fianna Fáil councillors and candidates are all “strongly in favour” of the development of the bypass.
“There can be no ambiguity on this crucial issue,” he said. “Galway is being left behind in terms of its infrastructural development and it will suffer the consequences for years to come.”
He said despite the economic downturn the Government is committed to investing in the Galway bypass.
“This is part of the stimulus plan to keep people working and to ensure that Ireland continues to develop as it needs to, to be ready for the upturn when it does come,” he said. “€3 million was provided this year for the planning of the Galway City Outer Bypass and further funding is committed to and waiting to be spent - yet it is being held up.”
Dep Fahey has now called on the voters to turn the Local Elections into a referendum on the bypass.
“Local elections are about electing people who will represent your needs and interests in relation to local issues,” he said. “Given that the bypass is so crucially important for the future of the city, I am calling on the people of the city to make the upcoming local elections a referendum on this crucial issue.”
