This article is from page 13 of the 2013-03-05 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 13 JPG
AS MANY as 1,000 jobs could be created in the North Clare/South Galway areas in the coming years, following news that Government funding has been secured to extend the M18 from Gort to Galway City.
A total of € 20 million has been secured for the project, with the National Roads Authority (NRA) now set to re-enter negotiations with the preferred private sector bidders.
There will be no tolls on the new motorway, with the Government instead paying the operators a set amount each year.
The entire project is expected to cost in the region of € 400 million over a period of approximately 30 years.
Besides creating construction jobs in the area, this news has also been welcomed by the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) who believe that a finished M18 could have major repercussions for the airport.
The Director of Shannon Airport, Mary Considine, said that the confir- mation that Government funding is now committed to the project means that negotiations with a view to commencing the works can get underway with the private investors who successfully tendered for the project initially.
“The confirmation that the Government seed funding is now available is hugely welcome and our hope is, of course, that the private investor commitment will follow and pave the way for this project to commence without delay,” she said.
“Shannon is the only airport on the entire western seaboard with transatlantic services and connectivity into one of the five major European hubs. This is a unique strength on top of the services we have elsewhere into UK and Europe.
“The extension of the motorway would make the airport and these services far more accessible to passengers into the wider west of Ireland region, offering passengers much greater choice to this catchment and amounting to a significant opportunity for Shannon to grow its passenger numbers in the process.”