Galway politicians have broadly welcomed the decision to grant approval for the Galway City Ring Road project after delays of over 20 years.
The proposed 18km route will connect the M6 motorway in the eastern part of the city to a location west of Bearna village.
Welcoming the move, Minister for State at the Department of Transport Seán Canney from Galway East said, “This is a major piece of infrastructure that has the potential to transform traffic movement around Galway, reduce congestion, and support the future growth and development of the city and surrounding areas.”
Minister Canney also said that further options such as a light rail system for the city should be kept “on the table.”
The announcement of the ring road’s approval was also hailed by Galway representatives of both government and opposition parties alike.
Fianna Fáil TD for Galway West, John Connolly said, “After years of delay, we now have a clear route forward to deliver the transport infrastructure our city urgently needs.
“The Ring Road is not a silver bullet, but it is the foundation that makes everything else possible. Without it, we simply cannot deliver an effective transport network for Galway”
Galway East TD and Sinn Féin Transport Spokesperson Louis O’Hara said, “I very much welcome the news this morning that the Galway Ring Road has received planning approval. This critical project has been held up for decades and we now must see it progress. This will impact on the lives of so many commuters into Galway.”
Minister of State and Independent TD Noel Grealish also hailed the announcement as a “victory for common sense.”
Candidates in the upcoming Galway West bye-election were also keen to welcome the approval of the ring road.
The Mayor of Galway, Cllr Mike Cubbard, said, “The Ring Road is one of the largest and most important infrastructure projects ever undertaken in Galway and will bring benefits not just for the city, but for the county and the wider west of Ireland.”
Fianna Fáil candidate Cllr Cillian Keane said, “Anyone who has sat at the Joyce Roundabout, crawled along Lough Atalia, or spent half the morning trying to get over the Quincentennial Bridge knows exactly why this road matters.”
Independent Ireland councillor Noel Thomas also welcomed the announcement, but said people were entitled to remain cautious “because Galway has heard positive announcements around this project before and it still has not been delivered.”
The response from the Green Party and Social Democrats to the announcement of the ring road’s approval was more tentative and both parties emphasised the need to improve public transport infrastructure in the city
Social Democrats candidate Míde Nic Fhionnlaoich said, “The news of the ring road approval should mean that shovel-ready transport projects we have seen paused are finally allowed to proceed.”
“If we want to avoid that we need to implement public and active travel projects like BusConnects now – any further delays will contribute to worse traffic congestion across the city.
Green Party candidate Niall Murphy said, “Clarity has been given on this project, but Galway deserves more than just a ring road.
“The most important thing to do now is to start pushing forward the other transport projects which have been delayed by the Government as the ring road planning process has been ongoing.”
The business community in Galway also welcomed the approval of the ring road and said that work needed to be commenced immediately.
Galway Chamber has called for immediate progress on the project and warned that any further delay would undermine the region’s economic prospects.
