On Tuesday the contract for the N18 Gort to Crusheen Dual Carriageway – Design Build Contract was signed in County Buildings in Prospect Hill.
The contract provides for the construction of a high quality dual carriageway extending from Ballingers Corner, north of Gort to Cragard, south of Crusheen, Clare where it will join the N18 Ennis Bypass.
It will consist of 22km of dual carriageway, 10km of realigned local roads, and 12km of accommodation access tracks. It will also involve the construction of 14 new bridges and two grade separated junctions.
The contract amounts to approximately €92 million and is scheduled for completion in 2011. The scheme is being undertaken by Galway County Council on behalf of Clare County Council in accordance with an agreement made under Section 85 of the Local Government Act 2001 and approved by the National Roads Authority under Section 14 of the Roads Act 1993.
The proposed N18 Oranmore to Gort Dual Carriageway scheme is currently at the tender stage and the award of this contract is subject to the approval of the National Roads Authority.
The N18 Gort to Crusheen scheme is being funded by the Irish Government and part financed by the European Union under the National Development Plan 2007-2013.
The scheme will form part of the proposed Atlantic Road Corridor which is an objective of the National Spatial Strategy, the Transport 21 Programme and the National Development Plan 2007-2013.
The Atlantic Road Corridor involves the provision of a major road network to provide a link between the major Gateway urban centres identified in the National Spatial Strategy from Letterkenny through Sligo, Galway, Limerick, Cork, and Waterford.
