Connecting car parks to solve Tuam traffic congestion

Senior Engineer with Coffey's Eoin Long confirmed that resurfacing of the lower section of Shop Street was due to be completed by Thursday. An agreement reached with Galway County Council prior to the road closure means two-way traffic will be permitted along Foster Place and the lower section of Shop Street once the road is re-opened. 'We are on schedule to reopen the lower part of Shop Street on Thursday, despite some initial problems we had in the area with hard rock and extra sewers that didn't show up when we dug the initial trial holes,' said Mr Long. 'But that has all been resolved and we hope to have the road reopened and access to Garvey's Mills car park by Thursday.' Meanwhile, ownership of the Bishop Street Car Park, which recently underwent major refurbishment by a group of secondary school children, has been passed from Galway County Council to Mr O'Toole. The transfer is part of the agreement between the businessman and the council in lieu of a financial contribution by the local authority towards the cost of the proposed road. Mr O'Toole said the transfer would not impact on the facility in the short term as the council was leasing back the car park from him. 'This was part of the overall arrangement because I'm paying for the construction of the road so there will be no change to the use of the car park in the short term, as Galway County Council continue to operate it as a public car park,' he said. The new road, which starts at Shop Street at the junction with Fosters Place, will follow the route of the Nanny River along the town side, where the basketball courts and tennis courts are located. The road will continue along the course of the river, passing by the Tuam Leisure Centre, coming out at Bishop Street near the junction with Park View Drive.[/private]