Work on the next phase of the Gort-Crusheen bypass is due to begin shortly, after the National Road Authority confirmed last week that it has signed a contract for the €200 million road.
The 23 kilometre dual carriageway, which is expected to drastically reduce journey times between Galway and Limerick, is set to begin at the northern end of the Ennis bypass and extend approximately 1km north of Gort, bypassing both the town and the village of Crusheen.
The bypass, which is part of the next phase of the Atlantic Corridor has been deferred numerous times over the last year because of Government budgetary cutbacks.
The Gort-Crusheen scheme, which will cost the County Council almost €156 million in construction costs alone, will include 11km of roadworks in Clare and the other 12 km in Galway.
The Council, who are the lead agency on the project, are compulsorily acquiring almost 200 hectares of land contained in 103 farms on the route. The scheme involves the severance of 340 hectares of farmland, while the route will pass within 300 metres and 3km of nine designated special areas of conservation or national heritage areas.
A spokesperson for the NRA said that work was expected to begin in the coming weeks and the project is expected to be completed in 2011.
