One of Galway’s new ‘Super Junior’ Ministers has said he will be pushing for the inclusion of the long mooted Claregalway Bypass in the forthcoming review of the National Development Plan (NDP).

Galway West TD Noel Grealish (Ind) said the project would be among a list of investments he and Galway East’s Deputy Seán Canney (Ind) would be pushing for the county following the official formation of the Government yesterday (Wednesday).

The existing €165 billion NDP will be up for review, with an updated plan to be set out by July of this year – a blueprint for infrastructural investment up to 2030.

It is understood that around an additional €30 billion will be added to the NDP as part of this review.

“The Claregalway Bypass, along with the Galway City Ring Road and the upgrade of the N84 [Headford Road] are among the projects that need to be moved along,” said Deputy Grealish.

Deputy Canney is Minister of State in the Department of Transport and among his responsibilities will be roads, while Deputy Grealish is Minister of State in the Department of Agriculture.

Both will sit at Cabinet, having secured ‘super junior’ positions in negotiations with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael before the Regional Independents Technical Group agreed to enter government.

This follows calls from local councillors to have the Claregalway Bypass prioritised.

At a meeting of the Athenry Municipal District, Cllr David Collins (FG) said he had written to all TDs in Galway East and West to reiterate the need for a bypass of the town and called on his Council colleagues to do the same.

“If it doesn’t happen now, with the level of representation that we have, it will never happen.

“Claregalway has expanded by 35% over the last five years and it is due to do the same over the next five years. We have more building and building and the bottle neck will just get worse,” said Cllr Collins of the traffic in the town.

He demanded local TDs make it a “red line issue” and said his fellow councillors should do the same.

Cllr James Charity (Ind) said he agreed with the sentiment of what Cllr Collins was saying but “I would remind him that his party has been in government for the last ten years and the bypass is not in the National Development Plan”.

Cllr Collins said Cllr Charity should not “play party politics”.

“We can’t deliver this at a Council level – let’s not point fingers in here,” he said.

Cllr Peter Feeney (FG) said he had to agree with Cllr Charity’s assessment of the situation “to a certain extent”.

“The Claregalway Bypass has been talked about for long enough. We have to move it on.

“We are a generation wating on this and it has to happen at some point – it’s inevitable. We were told that the M17/18 would solve the problems. We knew it wouldn’t and it hasn’t,” said Cllr Feeney.