Crowe announces new one million pedestrian bridge for Galway

The plans will go on public display in early June and this will allow all interested parties submit any views they might have. This process will be completed by the end of the summer and we will then invite tenders in October will construction beginning in early December. I expect the bridge to be in place and operating before next summer”

“We have for sometime been working on the concept of developing and extending the green belt along the Corrib River linking the green way from Dangan to Salmon Weir bridge through the NUIG lands and opening up connectivity across the canal. To develop it in a proper manner I realised a new pedestrian bridge over the Eglinton canal would be required.
We applied to the Department of Transport under the smarter travel Projects fund earlier this year. This is not to be confused with what we applied for recently, which was the Smarter Travel Areas Competition. The projects fund is for specific projects around the country, which had to be submitted to the Department. I believe this to be a worthwhile investment for Galway”

“We have all ready upgraded the pathway through the fisheries field and we are now going to planning to develop this bridge which is the second phase and hope to be in a position to do the final phase, which involves the upgrading of the walkway from the canal right up to the sports field in Dangan at a later stage”

“The development of this bridge will also give good access to the University and as a board member of NUIG, I would like to thank the management team and in particular Mr. Keith Warnock for their on-going co-operation. NUIG should also be commended for their monetary contribution in paying for the consultant’s fees.”

“The overall cost of this bridge will be in the region of one million euro and I am delighted that the Department of Transport have decided to fund it. The plan has also got the approval of the Lough Corrib Navigation Trustees.”

“In our assessment of this project a number of key issues were foremost in our mind. Firstly this bridge would give us connectivity to the green belt and college grounds. We also wanted to ensure that there was minimal land take; good aesthetics, sufficient navigation clearance and that when built there would be sufficient funding for on-going maintenance etc. There is nothing worse than seeing good pieces of infrastructure not been clean and maintained when built. I think we have achieved all of these things but the public display will bring to the fore anything we may have possibly missed”

“Overall this is another positive development for Galway. Along with improving access to the University it will also be a welcome addition for tourists visiting Galway, many of whom make a point of going to the Salmon weir, University area etc. We have to continue to develop Galway in this manner and I along with my Fianna Fail colleagues, Peter Keane and Ollie Crowe on Galway City Council will continue to do all we can to lobby government to do this” concluded Crowe