Galway Bay fm newsroom – Galway County Council is being warned that traffic in Tuam is reaching ‘crisis point’ – and the town can’t afford to wait until the new motorway is opened to tackle the issue.
However, the local authority is indicating that there are no easy solutions to the problem until the Gort to Tuam motorway opens in 2018.
Councillor Donagh Killilea told a recent meeting of Galway County Council that motorists travelling back from Galway to Tuam can often spend 2 to 3 hours sitting in their cars during the evening.
He said the problem is particularly bad on Thursdays and Fridays, when tailbacks can often stretch back as far as Claretuam.
Director of Services Liam Gavin admitted that there is an issue – however, he said that issue is sheer volume, and there is no specific problem or hold-up.
He said the good news is that the new motorway would be open by January 2018 and would greatly alleviate the issues currently being experienced.
Councillor Sean Canney said the problem is simply too big to wait until 2018, and had to be tackled as a matter of urgency.
Liam Gavin was able to tell councillors that the Ballygaddy Road will shortly be re-surfaced, and the traffic lights will be re-synchronised.
He also said that the council is working with Gardai to see how they could best direct traffic through the town.
However, ultimately, it was made clear that there are no easy solutions to the traffic problems until the Gort to Tuam motorway opens in 24 months time.