Claregalway has been branded ‘the Bermuda Triangle for funding’ after around €2 million in roads funding promised by Transport Infrastructure Ireland was withdrawn (TII).

The result is that local residents’ years-long wait for resurfacing, traffic calming and pedestrian crossings through the village centre is likely to extend into next year.

Cllr David Collins (FG) told a meeting of Athenry Municipal District on Tuesday that delays to this scheme was creating “huge frustration” in Claregalway.

The Fine Gael councillor made the comments as area councillors debated the County Council’s Roads Programme for 2025 in which he said Claregalway had come up significantly short.

“€1.2 million was allocated for the Claregalway pavement scheme in recent years and that has disappeared. There was also €500,000 for traffic calming and that has also disappeared.

“In relation to funding, it’s like the Bermuda Triangle in Claregalway,” said Cllr Collins.

An overhaul of the road through Claregalway has been promised for more than five years, to tackle persistent flooding in heavy rain, poor pedestrian infrastructure and a crumbling road surface.

Councillors approved an upgrade scheme in 2019 but it has been beset with delays – many relating to a floodwater attenuation pond and negotiations with adjacent landowners.

Having overcome those setbacks, the attenuation pond was built last year but now funding for the main part of the scheme, for which provision had been made in previous years, has been withdrawn by TII.

Senior Engineer Rachel Lowe said the amount of funding coming from TII had reduced across the board this year but the Council remained committed to the Claregalway scheme.

“The National Roads Projects Office (NRPO) remains committed to the scheme in Claregalway. They are going to proceed with the detailed design and tender documents so it’s ready to go, either later this year if funding becomes available, or next year.

“It has been indicated to us that there will be a recovery in [TII] funding next year,” said Ms Lowe.

Director of Services Liam Hanrahan said the TII had changed tack this year and was no longer providing funding for projects in a calendar year unless they were sure the project would advance within twelve months.

The focus would be to get the Claregalway scheme to the stage where tenders were ready to go so they could provide that assurance to TII, he said.

“When we go to TII, the project will be ready to go. It will be based on what we have already done to date so we won’t be going to the back of the queue for funding,” he said.

Cllr Collins said the TII needed to step up to the plate in Claregalway and pointed to the absence of funding for a relief road and a set-down bay at the school as further failures.

“This has nothing to do with Galway County Council or the staff here – this funding is supposed to be coming from the TII and NTA,” he said.

Cllr Tomás Grealish (Ind) said it was “very disappointing” that the funding for the village centre works had disappeared, and that there had been no progress on the relief road.

“My firm belief is that the relief road won’t go ahead until the Galway City Ring Road is done,” he said.

“We need answers from TII on what their long-term plan for Claregalway is,” added Cllr Grealish.

Pictured: Cllr David Collins….the Bermuda Triangle for roads funding.