Months of traffic chaos predicted as N17 commuters hit city roadworks

By TONY GALVIN COMMUTERS and drivers entering Galway via the N17 will face at least three months of disruption and delays as the Tuam Road Roundabout is replaced with a traffic light controlled junction. There are serious concerns over the viability of the project which will see a series of roundabouts removed from the outskirts of the city and replaced with new junctions. This week work began on Font roundabout, better known as the Tuam Road roundabout and on the Morris roundabout, known as the Ballybane roundabout. Galway City Council say the work will take approximately 12 weeks and to facilitate the public there will be no lane closures between the hours of 7 am and 7 pm while works are underway. [private] Commuters The plan is to replace seven roundabouts between the motorway junction and the hospital entrance in Newcastle with signalled junctions. Commuters coming in from Tuam and Headford will hit traffic lights instead of the roundabouts they are accustomed to before entering the city. Tuam-based Cllr Tom McHugh said he had little doubt the change would inconvenience commuters travelling to and from the city. 'We spent years trying to get something done about the lights in Claregalway and now the problem is being moved down the road a few miles to the Tuam Road junction. We can see a pedestrian light holding up the N17 in Tuam, what will a whole series of them do at new junctions in the city.' 'The last thing anyone needs now is a year or more of roadworks to add to our problems,' he said. Deputy Noel Grealish is on record as saying that the city plan is solely designed to suit traffic management in the city centre. The controlled traffic management system will be used to shut off the flow of traffic into the city whenever it suits them, irrespective of what chaos it will create on the outskirts. 'Take a look at the disaster at Moneenageisha. Taking out the roundabout here was a bad mistake, yet the City Council are repeating this mistake several times over with this ridiculous plan. It will achieve the opposite effect of what is intended. 'The traffic flow will slow to a crawl and it's all to suit a few people who want to control traffic in the city centre at the expense of people entering the city,' Deputy Grealish ­continued. Those in favour of the change say it will make the city safer for pedestrians and cyclists and that a manned traffic flow centre will be able to monitor where problems arise and coordinate traffic lights to clear backlogs. [/private]