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.