Delays in securing funds for Mayo road upgrade branded 'ridiculous' by councillor
The route, which serves to connect the south of the county with Galway, came to the fore at a recent council meeting
Multiple Mayo councillors have expressed their concerns that upgrades to a road linking the south of the county to Galway will be delayed due to the time being taken to confirm funding for the route.
The long-standing issue, relating to the R332 between Kilmaine and Tuam, reared its head at the February meeting of Mayo County Council at Áras an Chontae in Castlebar.
The R332 is a route of particular importance to those in the south of the county, as many use it as a link between the N17 and Ballinrobe.
Last year, controversy reared its head after the future of €1.2 million of funding for the route was plunged into doubt due to issues in sourcing a contractor.
Councillors have sought confirmation on when works on the circa 8.5-kilometre stretch of the road between the N84 junction in Kilmaine and the Galway border in Foxhall can commence.
The push comes against the backdrop of a €4 million contract for works on the other side of the border, on the twelve-kilometre stretch of the road between Foxhall and Tuam, which was signed by Galway County Council earlier in the month.
Whilst a Transport Infrastructure Ireland announcement is imminent on funding allocations for local and regional routes, some councillors have expressed a belief that such allocations at this point in the year would be 'too little, too late'.
First to broach the subject was Cllr Damien Ryan, while the Fianna Fáil representative was closely followed by Cllr Patsy O'Brien.
"A quarter of the year is gone, and we have to go looking for contractors when they have their plans set out for the year," the Independent councillor stated.
"This is ridiculous, it’s not fair on the public representatives, the executive, or the general public."
Tom Gilligan, the Council's Head of Roads, confirmed that assessments were being carried out on applications after the closure of the tender process, which concluded on Friday, February 6.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme