‘Knocking’ is only long-term solution for Dunmore street
Bridge Street debated by Ballinasloe cllrs
KNOCKING buildings is the long-term answer to the traffic woes on Bridge Street in Dunmore, according to councillors local to the area.
Last week’s Tuam MDC meeting heard that plans to demolish buildings – several of which are derelict – as part of Bridge Street’s revitalisation have been shelved as Galway County Council. The local authority will instead examine plans for a pedestrian bridge, a traffic light system and widening of the junction at the bridge to ease traffic congestion.
While Bridge Street is not in the Ballinasloe MD catchment area, it was raised by councillors at last week’s Ballinasloe MDC meeting.
“Probably a third of the people living in the Ballinasloe MD access Galway through that route (N83). That’s people from Ballymoe, Williamstown, Creggs,” said Glenamaddy Cllr Peter Keaveney.
“It’s a bottleneck at the best of times. It’s narrow and you have to come around a bend. I travel that road a lot and it’s a serious, serious issue.
“It’s the only way through Dunmore. If you had a clear view coming around the bend it wouldn’t be too bad, but you don’t.
“Traffic lights would at least give you some safety. I think long-term pulling down that street will be the option. Many of the buildings are in total disrepair.”
Williamstown Cllr Declan Geraghty said the congestion on Bridge Street affects people travelling on the N83 from Roscommon and Leitrim as well people living in Dunmore and the surrounding areas.
“It was different in the 1950s and ‘60s. The size of trucks and machines now is totally different. The only solution is to knock,” said the Independent Ireland Cllr.
“It’s unfair on the people who own property there. They didn’t know if they should knock the buildings or not, they didn’t do anything with them because they didn’t know what was happening with the street.”
Moylough Cllr Michael Connolly said that Bridge Street was an issue when he was a local representative in the Tuam MD region and offered that traffic lights could be considered for the street.
Conrad Harley, senior roads engineer with the council, said Bridge Street was “quite a complicated situation” and that the local authority were looking at different proposals for the street.