Construction of a proposed new cantilevered walkway to be added to the south side of Wolfe Tone Bridge in Galway could commence next Spring and be completed by summertime.
This new project will mirror the present walkway already in place on north side of the bridge. A Part VIII planning application was submitted by Galway City Council last week and is open for observations until June 9.
Approval, if granted, would be expected later this summer and construction could then occur in early 2023. It is estimated that the costs will be between €1m and €2m. The project will be funded by the NTA using Department of Transport Active Travel funding.
Minister Hildegarde Naughton said last night (Wednesday ) that the project will provide safer space for people to cross Wolfe Tone Bridge from the Spanish Arch to the Claddagh Basin where the footpath is currently very narrow for such a busy route.
“People in Galway know that our streets are narrow and are dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists alike. The Active Travel funding that I am allocating will help alleviate such dangers,” she said.
The development will consist of a 50m steel cantilever frame forming a walkway on the southern elevation of the Wolfe Tone Bridge (R336 ) over the River Corrib, and widening 60m section of the southern footpath on the Wolfe Tone Bridge (R336 ) along the Claddagh Basin with junction tightening of the R336 and L-5061.
There will be a new signalised rainbow pride crossing on the eastern approach of the Wolfe Tone Bridge (R336 ).
Minister Naughton said that this is but one of a number of projects her department is funding in Galway, including the new pedestrian and cycle bridge at the Salmon Weir, where she turned the sod last week.
“I am committed to ensuring that Galway becomes a safer place for walking and cycling,” she concluded.
