‘Momentous’, ‘appalling’ - Galway divided over ring road planning permission

Thu, Dec 09, 2021

The Galway City Ring Road will see a massive reduction in traffic congestion in the city centre, and travel times cut by more than 40 per cent; or it will see even greater levels of traffic clog our roads and drastically increase Galway’s carbon emissions.

There has been a divided reaction among Galway politicians to An Bord Pleanála's decision to grant planning permission to the ring road. However, the decision means the project can now advance to the next stages, including land and property purchase - which will involve the demolition of family homes - detailed design, enabling works, the procurement of a contractor, and the main construction phase.

The Galway County Council, Galway City Council, and Transport Infrastructure Ireland welcomed ABP’s decision, but acknowledged that possible legal challenges could yet arise, and that this could have an impact on the construction timelines for the road.