From this week’s Galway City Tribune –  Nearly ten months behind schedule, the new fully signalised Martin Junction near the Galway Clinic opened this week.

The transition from roundabout to full traffic and pedestrian lights happened over a four-hour period on Wednesday from 11am to 3pm – which initially led to traffic delays during the changeover period.

Local councillors and City Council officials have welcomed the completion of the project which had been dogged by delays since it began in February 2022. It was originally supposed to be completed last August.

According to the Council, the delay in the completion of the project was caused by “external factors such as the war in Ukraine, Covid restrictions, Brexit and the fall-out from the Suez Canal blockage of 2021”.

This week, City Council Director of Services, Uinsinn Finn, said the opening of the new junction was a significant step forward for the future development of the city.

Local area councillor Alan Cheevers said: “We can’t see project overruns like this again and we must have penalties on contract where delays like this occur. I will also be asking a full breakdown of overall project costs at the September meeting of the City Council.”
This is a shortened preview version of this story. To read the rest of the article, see the June 16 edition of the Galway City Tribune. You can support our journalism and buy a digital edition HERE.