Galway City Council is intent on progressing a pedestrian and bicycle link across the stone abutments of the former Clifden Railway Bridge, despite national funding cancelled for this piece of the Connemara Greenway.
A steel bridge utilising the existing, cut stone pillars upstream of the Salmon Weir, is estimated to cost at least €15m, based on current construction prices.
In response to questioning from Galway West TD John Connolly in an Oireachtas committee this week, deputy CEO of the National Transport Authority, Hugh Creegan, said the proposed bridge was expensive, and that funding it may detract from other transport projects.
The week previously, Minister for Transport, Darragh O’Brien, said the NTA had allocated just €8m of its €290m active travel budget to Galway city projects. A further €15m was this week earmarked for greenway infrastructure across Galway, which includes the Connemara project, and the Renmore to Portumna leg of the Galway-Dublin greenway.
Speaking to the Advertiser, Deputy Connolly (FF ) says he gets the impression from the NTA that its capped budget allocation for Galway city will not cover all projects, including the Ceannt Station upgrade, two major bus schemes, park and ride infrastructure, and other active travel initiatives.
“Bus Connects and the cross city bus link are the current priorities, but if I have to fight for this bridge then I will,” he said. “Although they might rank priorities differently, I think my fellow TDs [in Galway West] feel similarly. I like this project for transport purposes, for its architectural design and for posterity – it will become a landmark feature of this city.”
A spokeswoman for Galway City Council said the local authority was working to identify alternative funding streams for the bridge if a cash injection from the NTA was not forthcoming.
“Galway City Council is engaging constructively with stakeholders with a view to developing this project towards detailed design, and the necessary reports to enable a planning application. We are also working to identify additional funding opportunities to allow this project to be constructed in the coming years,” the spokeswoman said, adding that the University of Galway was also providing “strong support”.
Local authority officials told councillors late last year that they had €5.5m secured in Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF ) monies from the EU, of which €3.5m could be put aside to fund design, environmental impact studies, planning permission, engineering surveys and other preparations for a new bridge.
Their intention is that the bridge would kick-start a rejuvenation of the Woodquay area, and link the Dyke Road with the Connemara Greenway, funded by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII ), by connecting with University of Galway’s riverside ‘forest trail’. The University confirmed it has consented to use campus land for the bridge, but made no comment on contributing to its funding.
Galway city’s newest bridge, Droichaed an Dóchais – from Newtownsmith to the Gaol Road – came in at around €10m. Opened in May 2023, it was the first bridge across the Corrib in 30 years.
When the Cross-city bus link is activated, the 208-year-old Salmon Weir Bridge, connecting the Cathedral and Courthouse, will be closed to private vehicles during daytime. €800,000 has been allocated by the NTA for the bus gate, and pedestrian infrastructure.
Separately, a new motorway flyover, provisionally titled the River Corrib Bridge, between Dangan and Menlo, is mooted as part of the N6 Galway City Ringroad.
