Major road safety scheme could start next year

WORKS on the long-awaited improvement scheme on the busy N17 route outside Milltown are due to begin sometime next year.

The N17 Milltown to Gortnagunned scheme will be put out to tender by Galway County Council in the near future.

The development will improve a section of the N17 which has been identified as a high collision location. The improvements will also include the provision of Active Travel facilities along its entire length. The realignment scheme consists of roughly 3km of rural road between Milltown village and Gortnagunned, which will tie into an already upgraded stretch of the N17 at its northern end.

Galway County Council is currently completing the design and preparing tender documentation for the main construction contract. The tender competition is scheduled to start before the end of this year and construction is expected to begin in 2027.

Junior Minister for Transport Sean Canney said that bringing the project to tender is an important step towards delivering the improvements.

“A significant amount of preparatory work has already been carried out, and the next step is to bring the main construction contract to tender before the end of this year,” he added.

The scheme received approval from An Bord Pleanála in 2023, with advance works commencing in 2024.