A five-exit junction must be a key feature of any plan to replace the Kirwan roundabout on the Headford Road with a signalised junction, according to Independent city councillor Declan McDonnell.
Cllr McDonnell is calling on Galway City Council officials to prepare a detailed plan for such a junction as part of the process for the Part 8 decision for the roundabout replacement.
“I want Galway City Council to fully explore all the options,” he said. “We are taking the word of the officials that a five-set junction won’t work, but I would like to see the operation of such a junction before I make a decision.”
He has written to the council’s director of services, Ciarán Hayes requesting all elected members be given the opportunity of seeing how five set junctions in other parts of the State are operating.
Cllr McDonnell believes a four-set junction will not prevent the rat running through the estates on the Headford Road and that it will actually increase pressure on the Dyke Road, “which is not in a condition to deal with heavy volumes of traffic”.
“The roundabout cannot exist within the other four signalised junctions,” he said. “It must be replaced in the most beneficial way to the businesses, residents of the area, and Galway city so we should not be rushing into this decision.”
Meanwhile, the Mayor of Galway Terry O’Flaherty is calling on City Hall to address concerns of Headford Road residents in relation to proposed junction.
“There appears to be some confusion in relation to the process” she said, “and I will not be in a position to support the proposed installation until the concerns of local residents expressed at a recent public meeting are properly addressed.”
