Tuam’s new bypass, which is due to open in the Spring of 2018, will become the new southerly starting point for the N17, following the redesignation of a number of roads in the county. The route, made famous by the Saw Doctors song of the same name in the late 1980s, will no longer stretch as… Read more »
It now looks like it will be at least four years before consideration is again given to a bypass for Claregalway—and even then there is no guarantee it will get the green light. A Department of Transport source has revealed that there will be no movement on the €20 million project any time before 2020…. Read more »
A sheer rock face, possibly the height of a three or four storey apartment block, has been hewn out of the earth near Ballinphuil, Corofin by massive machines that look like models to the naked eye from above the new M17-M18 Tuam-Gort motorway as progress continues apace on the project. Neither this massive rock face… Read more »
When the new M17/M18 Gort to Tuam motorway opens in 2018, motorists won’t be the only ones travelling along the route—bats will be flying overhead on a bridge built specially for them. Early work to enable the area’s bat population to navigate their way across the new road structure has recently been completed along the… Read more »
A mound used as a gathering point for rituals dating back to 3500 BC, evidence of medieval treasure-hunting and remains of Famine cottages are among the ancient finds along the M17 motorway. The finds at 26 excavated sites on the 30km stretch from Rathmorrissy (near Athenry) to Tuam have been recorded in a book entitled Through… Read more »
Despite committing to spending almost €800,000 already, the Department of Transport has abandoned plans to provide an inner relief road for traffic-choked Claregalway. In a written response the Minister said that he was not in a position to commit any further expenditure to this project—the announcement will come as a major disappointment to local residents. It… Read more »
As construction officially starts on the new M17/M18 Tuam to Gort motorway and the Tuam Bypass this Thursday January 15th, work on this massive piece of piece of infrastructure will mean millions of euro to the local economy over the next four years. The new route is also expected to bring more industries to the… Read more »
The long awaited construction of the new M18 motorway will bypass the towns of Ardrahan, Kilcolgan and Clarenbridge and Claregalway and the agreed route will take motorists through the northern part of the Burren, a site that is internationally famous for its flora and fauna. In a field near Ardrahan, nine different species of Orchids… Read more »
Work will start on the long-awaited Tuam bypass and the M17/18 motorway on January 15th. However it is still not clear whether or not the bypass will be opened ahead of the complete motorway. In early January machinery will start to roll simultaneously on the town bypass and at two other locations further south towards Gort…. Read more »
Figures showing the projected usage of the new motorway from Tuam to Gort have prompted renewed calls for the Claregalway bypass. There are up to 30,000 vehicle movements through Claregalway each day which has made it into one of the country’s worst bottlenecks. But there were raised eyebrows this week with projections that just 7,200 vehicles… Read more »
The operators of he new motorway between Gort and Tuam may have no choice but to introduce toll charges as projections of traffic using the route are dismal. While the public have been told there will be no toll plazas along the 57km route, the lack of usage may prompt the developers to introduce charges. It… Read more »
A claim that the €550 million Gort to Tuam motorway is to become a ‘ghost motorway‘ has been blasted by local representatives. An analysis of projected traffic volumes on the 57km route last week indicated that the public private partnership project could become the worst performing motorway in the country. The four lane non-tolled road… Read more »
