Cold water poured on Tuam bypass stand-alone proposal

A PROPOSAL to build the long-awaited Tuam by-pass as a stand-alone project as part of the M18/17 Gort-Tuam motorway project, has been rejected by a senior Co Council engineer as impractical and unlikely. The motorway project is â€Ëœshovel ready' with €150 million already spent on the necessary land acquisition but there have been considerable hold-ups caused by the downturn in the economy and the difficulties in securing funding for such a major project. With new hopes that the European Investment Bank may guarantee funding for the project, there is growing optimism that the project, which was due to start in 2010, may proceed in the near future. Tuam Area Cllr Seán Canney has urged that the Tuam bypass be constructed immediately to eliminate the continuous traffic jams along the N17. 'Tuam, as a Hub town, needs to develop to its full potential and this is being hampered by the fact that the N17 is going through the town and is hindering development and is a cost to business. 'The M17 from Tuam to Gort is being mooted, with reports of some funding being made available through the European ­Investment Bank. 'I am calling on the National Roads Authority (NRA) and Galway Co Council to ensure that the Tuam bypass be a priority in terms of delivery. This section of the project should be commenced first to help the traffic flow through the town of Tuam,' Cllr Canney said in a statement. However, when Cllr Canney raised the subject at a meeting of Galway Co Council in Loughrea on Monday's Director of Service for Roads and Transportation, Frank Gilmore, poured cold water on the proposal. No deviation He said he expected progress on the M18/17 to continue on a northbound course and added it was highly unlikely that there would be any deviation from this plan. 'The plan is to progress the project as a whole and not build it in individual units,' he explained. He told The Herald that he was absolutely confident that the scheme would be going ahead, but pinning down the exact start date was a difficulty because of complications over the contract. However, he was optimistic that work would begin from the Gort end either by the end of this year or in 2013.