Traffic disruption on the main Ennis to Galway route is expected to continue for another two months as work on the Gort Crusheen by-pass enters more complex phases.
The new N18 dual carriageway is running well ahead of schedule and is likely to be open be the end of the year, but current roadworks near Gort including a single lane traffic system, have seen delays of up to 40 minutes for weekday commuters.
The national roads design office in Galway says the inconvenience will come to an end before the Galway Races in July, and that the concerns of businesses in Gort are being taken on board.
But Senior Roads Engineer Jack Eisen says the disruption is inevitable as roadworks could not have been carried out at weekends or night time hours
Meanwhile,
Six farmers along the route of the Gort Crusheen Bypass have become the country’s latest millionaires.
It follows payment by Galway County Council for the compulsory purchase of land for the new 23 kilometre dual carriageway which is expected to be completed later this year.
Figures released under the Freedom of Information reveal that 5.3 million was paid to one landowner, three times more than the next highest amount of 1.7 million with the remaining receiving over a million Euro each.
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