Tag Archives: m18 motorway

TWO Galway women who were lucky to escape a car accident with their lives this time last year have issued a public thank you to all those involved in rescuing them. The women had to be cut from the wreckage of their car following a collision on the M18 motorway at Dromoland on January 4, 2016. Exactly a year to the date, the women are only returning to work for the first time after a long recovery and one woman continues to receive follow-up treatment. In the letter, the women, who do not wish to be named, state, “It was a miracle we survived. We are fortunate and able to express our gratitude and feel that the wonderful men and women who spend their lives saving others, often go unnoticed. Thanks to you all, we can write this letter.” They said this expression of gratitude and appreciation for the emergency services and the bystanders who remained with them and kept …

Fianna Fáil TD Timmy Dooley has called for a thorough investigation, following reports that an ambulance travelling with a patient, who subsequently passed away, broke down on the M18 near Shannon, while en route to hospital. Deputy Dooley says the incident highlights the deteriorating quality of the fleet of vehicles being operated by the National Ambulance Service which is putting patient safety at risk. “I was shocked to hear media reports this afternoon that an ambulance broke down while transporting a gravely ill patient to hospital. First and foremost, I want to extend my deepest sympathies to the family of the man who passed away following this tragic incident. This incident has horrified communities across Clare,” said Deputy Dooley. “While it is not possible to say at this time whether the breakdown of the ambulance was a contributory factor leading to the death of the patient, it nonetheless is completely unacceptable that an ambulance rushing to hospital with a gravely ill …

SEVERE and sudden hailstorms are affecting the M18 more than most other roads, are all but impossible to forecast and have led to accidents on the route, according to the National Roads Authority (NRA). Clare TD Joe Carey raised concerns about the Crusheen-Gort section of the route in the Dáil and he subsequently received a letter from programme and regulatory manager of the NRA, Gary Carey. The NRA official stated, “There would appear to be a particular problem associated with hailstorms along the M18, which seem to be more frequent along this route than at other locations throughout the national road motorway network. “It was such a hailstorm on January 13, 2015, which resulted in skidding accidents and the closure of the road for a time by An Garda Síochána. “It is worth noting that some of the hailstorms recorded had such intensity that at one point they caused the road surface temperature to drop by approximately 5oC in a …

CLARE County Council is to temporarily close sections of the M18 Motorway northbound and southbound from October, 9 to 17 in order to conduct road improvements. The proposed closures will take place on the M18 southbound carriageway from junction 16 Gort to junction 15 Crusheen, and on the M18 northbound carriageway from junction 15 Crusheen to junction 16 Gort. The southbound carriageway will be closed from 5am on Thursday, October 9 to 11.59pm on Friday, October 10. Meanwhile, the northbound carriageway will be closed from 5am on Monday, October, 13 to 11.59pm on Friday, October 17. Motorists using either of these routes are asked to divert via the R458.

THE sod turning for the M17/M18 motorway project will take place outside Gort this Friday after which work will  begin on the €550 million extension to the Atlantic Corridor. Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin signed contracts last week for the road with consortium Direct Route, which includes Roadbridge, John Sisk, Lagan, three large Irish civil engineering firms, and Strabag of Austria. When completed  it will extend from Gort to Tuam and include bypasses of Tuam, Ardrahan, Kilcolgan and Clarinbridge in the south. It will also effectively bypass Claregalway. The project will create up to 450 jobs and, according to the Government, will “boost local economies in the West and ease congestion”. The jobs are expected to be created during the construction and post-construction phases. When complete, there will be motorway from Shannon past Ennis, Gort and  Galway as far as Tuam. The road will not be tolled.

FOLLOWING  weeks of speculation, Ministers Leo Varadkar and Brendan Howlin signed the contract for the M17/M18 Gort to Tuam motorway this week.The €550 million project is a public-private partnership, which will see the M18 extended 57km beyond Gort.  Work is to begin on the motorway from Gort to Tuam in the coming weeks. Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin signed a contract with consortium Direct Route, which includes Roadbridge, John Sisk, Lagan, three large Irish civil engineering firms, and Strabag of Austria. The project will create up to 450 jobs and, according to the Government, will “boost local economies in the West and ease congestion”. The jobs are expected to be created during the construction and post-construction phases. “This is further evidence of the Government’s commitment to improving transport infrastructure outside of the Greater Dublin Area,” Minister Varadkar said. Minister Howlin said, “I am very pleased we have achieved …