Clearing the road ahead for M18

THE establishment of a dedicated group to address issues that will arise during the construction of the new M18 motorway, which forms part of the new route from Gort to Tuam, has been proposed by Fine Gael Senator Ciaran Cannon.

The new section of motorway, where construction is expected to begin in a few months, will traverse a major part of the South Galway landscape and Senator Cannon believes land and home owners deserve to have formal representation at a negotiating table during the construction phase.
The new road will be a continuation of the Gort bypass and will link with the roundabout network a few miles south of Galway City.
Similar issues arose during the construction of the M6 motorway from Ballinasloe to Galway, the senator has cautioned.
”We had everything from deviations to previously agreed works to unprecedented flooding, damage to roads and damage to private property. There were a lot of very unhappy people in East Galway and they felt utterly helpless. I worked with our local councillors to set up a major campaign of protest until such time as we had the attention of the road builders.
“Eventually a formal negotiation process was established and we had weekly meetings with N6 Construction to begin addressing all of the problems that had arisen. We invited submissions from members of the public who felt they had been unfairly treated. We started with a list of over 150 people; we are now down to just under 10. That negotiation process is in place for over a year and we have established a good working relationship with N6 Construction,” said Senator Cannon.
Already a number of farmers in South Galway have indicated that they have major reservations about the construction of the road through the very unique limestone landscape that has remained untouched for thousands of years. They believe that the road may disturb drainage channels, which are necessary to take flood waters to the sea in times of heavy rain.
“Initially, the N6 engineers did not take the views of local landowners on board when it came to deciding designs for flood water drainage but eventually they came round and ended up respecting the opinions of farmers who know their land intimately. I would hope that something similar would happen in South Galway. We have established a very successful model of negotiation in East Galway and it could be easily replicated.
“Once the contractor is ready to move on site in South Galway, I will ask the company involved to meet with our local councillors. They are the democratically elected representatives of the people and deserve to have a seat at a negotiating table during construction. If such a forum is established before construction begins we would hope to avoid many of the issues that arose during the construction of the M6,” concluded Senator Cannon.