This article is from page 8 of the 2011-06-07 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 8 JPG
HUNDREDS of Clare motorists who commute to Galway each day for work will be forced to pay a toll at Kiltartan, just outside of Gort, as part of a new proposal for the completion of the M18 motorway from Ennis to Galway. The Clare People has learned that a Spanish-based construction company is preparing a bid to complete the motorway which would carry more than 30,000 vehicles between Ennis and Galway City each day.
The new bid follows increasing confusion over the future intentions of the BAM/Balfour Beatty Consortium who were due to begin construction on the € 500 million motorway last November. Fears had been raised that the project was set to be mothballed until news of a possible investment by an unnamed Spanish company emerged last week.
According to Gort businessman Austin McInerney, a toll on the motorway may actually be a boost for some local businesses but would be bad news for the area as a whole.
“When I first heard about the possibility of the toll, I thought that it would be a total disaster for the local businesses. The town has been very busy since the motorway was opened and there is still a great buzz around the place,” he told The Clare People yesterday.
“I think that people will start coming into Gort and some of the surrounding towns to avoid the toll and that will lead to more business for the local shops and restaurants. The completion of this motorway is essential, not just for Gort but for businesses all along the west coast. Big American and German companies expect these sorts of facilities and it is essential for the future of Shannon and Galway airports.
“The future of Shannon is critical – even for us up here in Gort. There may be some benefits for the local shops if there was a toll in Gort but I think most people would prefer if the motorway was there with no toll.”
Should the bid from the Spanish company become a reality, it now also looks likely that a second toll will be placed on the northern end of the motorway at Ballyglunin near Tuam.
It had been expected that the 57kilometre stretch of motorway would be completed in early 2014 but there is no indication yet what impact the recent delays will have on that completion date.