Converting the Martin junction at the Galway Clinic from a roundabout to traffic lights cost more than €6.9m to complete – around €1.3m over budget.

The project – officially opened on Monday – was also delivered 10 months after its deadline.

The cost overruns and delays prompted Galway City Councillor Alan Cheevers (FF) to demand penalty clauses be inserted into all future major infrastructure projects in the city.

The City East elected representative also called for better communication and more transparency from City Hall – he claimed the full cost of the project would have remained hidden had he not gone public to local media about it.

The new junction was officially opened by Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Jack Chambers, and Mayor of Galway, Councillor Eddie Hoare (FG), at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday.

Cllr Cheevers – who attended the event – afterwards got confirmation from City Council officials that the project cost just over €6m excluding VAT.

The initial budget estimate when the job was advertised publicly was €5m, excluding VAT.

When VAT at 13.5% was included, the total cost of the project was €6.9m – an overrun of approximately 18%.

The project was funded by central Government, by the NTA (National Transport Authority) and URDF (Urban Regeneration and Development Fund), and delivered by Fox Building & Engineering Ltd, who were appointed contractors in 2022.

The City Council said the project, “encountered significant inflationary and supply chain issues associated with the War on Ukraine”.
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