This article is from page 19 of the 2008-05-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 19 JPG
JUST days after the proposed N18 Gort-Crusheen bypass looked dead in the water, the Department of Trans- port has somehow come up with the cash to keep the project afloat.
Speaking last Friday in Galway, the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Eamon O’Cuiv said that he had received a firm com- mitment that construction works on the entire N18 upgrade, including the Gort bypass, would commence early next year.
Construction on the long muted by- pass was scheduled to begin in the first half of this year, and some 170 Clare and Galway farmers have en- tered into a negotiations for the com- pulsory purchase of land needed.
]Sr-Nu DCs SOU EcMmOeCOOLNeMmE OO CoMmBN EIB Ceyer-D Roads Authority (NRA) confirmed that they would not be in a position to begin work on the Gort bypass this year as planned because of a lack
of funds.
This sparked fears in the local farm- ing community the NRA and both Clare and Galway County Councils would attempt to undercut the price already offered to farmers.
Under the compulsory purchase order process, the NRA has frozen the value of the compensation for the land. The IFA’s Roads Project Team Leader, Jer Bergin, last week hosted a meeting of landowners effected by the bypass.
“This new road will affect the live- lihoods of over 170 landowners and will involve the construction of over 24 kilometers of new road,” he said.
However, the National Roads Au- thority confirmed that €20 million has been provided for works on the N-18 in 2008. They also confirmed that the bulk of this money will go towards land purchase. The remain- der will be spent on site surveys, an archaeological study of the route and advance work projects.