More than 1,000 jobs are expected to be created in the Galway construction sector, following the signing of contracts to build the M17-M18 Gort-Tuam motorway.
The contracts were signed in Dublin yesterday morning by the Transport Minister Leo Varadkar, the Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin, and a construction consortium.
Work on the long-awaited project, which is expected to cost c€500 million, and be opened in 2017, is expected to get underway shortly and take three years to complete. It is also expected that it will lead to the creation of 1,000 jobs.
The contract signing has been welcomed by Galway West TD Brian Walsh, who said the motorway will “boost employment and economic development” in Galway in both the short and long-term.
“It will have a major impact on the county,” he said. “It will create jobs and enhance connectivity in the western region, making the county an even more attractive location for investment and further job creation.”
Dep Walsh added that the new road will further reduce journey times between Galway and Shannon Airport, and alleviate traffic congestion in Claregalway, which, he said “has suffered for so long in the absence of this infrastructure”.
