New bypass will cut journey times - Brennan

The long-awaited €17.2m Loughrea bypass in Co Galway will cut out a notorious bottleneck and reduce journey times for motorists, it was claimed today.

Transport minister Seamus Brennan today turned the first sod on the 3.75km route which is due to be completed in late 2005.

Locals in the South Galway town have been waiting for 30 years for the bypass, which will divert 10,500 vehicles a day from its congested streets.

Minister Brennan said: “This will give the town of Loughrea back to its people after years of having to endure almost non-stop traffic, particularly heavy goods vehicles.

“It will also benefit the industrial, tourism and economic development of Co Galway.”

The bypass, which includes eight junctions, begins on the N6 at Caherlavine and loops around Loughrea before rejoining the N6 again at Fairfield.

It will reduce transport costs, improve environmental quality and contribute to a consistent standard of national road.

Minister Brennan said a complete motorway from Dublin to Galway was fast becoming a reality and that individual projects spanning 157km would be put through the statutory planning process by the end of the year.

The 35km Kilcock to Kinnegad route is already being built and other projects planned for 2005 include the Ballinasloe Bypass and the Kinnegad to Kilbeggan and Kilbeggan to Athlone routes.

Minister Brennan said he also wanted to balance the level of roads spending on the East Cost compared with the Border Midlands and Western (BMW) region.

He pointed out that spending on national roads in the BMW region jumped by 62% to €307m in 2004, with a total of 16 major projects located in, or benefiting the region.

Minister Brennan also said rapid progress was being made on rolling out a five-year, €9bn euro national roads building programme “on a scale never before envisaged”.

He added: “We are entering a particularly exciting era for road building in Ireland.

“An average of €150m will be spent each month for the next five years on building new motorways and dual carriageways that are vital to the future economic growth of this country.”

He said that projects for a “21st century roads network” would now be delivered faster, within budget and in most cases, ahead of schedule.

“This is primarily taxpayers’ money that is being invested so there is a clear responsibility on all involved to ensure it is managed properly and value for the money is delivered.”

The minister said that since 2000, a total of 41 schemes have been completed, work is underway on another 19 projects, and a further 11 are at tender stage.