The N6 Galway City Ring Road has received planning permission after a years-long process beset by delays.
Galway County Council, Galway City Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) welcomed the news of the approval granted by An Coimisiún Pleanála today.
The ring road project first received planning permission in 2021. However, the plan had to be resubmitted after a review found that new environmental regulations had not been properly accounted for.
The planned 18km route would take traffic around Galway City from the N6 out to Barna.
The project has been highly controversial. Supporters say that it is needed to address chronic traffic problems in Galway City. Critics of the plans say that building roads will only encourage more car usage, and that investment should go to public transport instead.
A joint statement from the two councils and TII said, “The N6 GCRR is a core component of the wider transport solution for Galway City and County, complementing BusConnects, ongoing rail enhancements, Active Travel and the continued delivery of other major transport initiatives under the Galway Transport Strategy (GTS).”
“Galway County Council, Galway City Council and TII recognise that the prolonged planning process associated with the N6 GCRR has been very difficult for home and property owners affected by the proposed route.”
“Galway County Council, Galway City Council and TII will now proceed, following a detailed review of An Coimisiún Pleanála’s decision, to the next phase of the project.”
“The Enabling and Procurement stage includes the progression of detailed design, preparation of contract documentation and the procurement process.”
