After more than two decades of planning, court battles and false starts, the Galway City Ring Road is finally cleared to go ahead. The last legal challenge against the project was withdrawn at the High Court on Monday, 2 November, leaving no legal barriers in its way for the first time.
It is huge news for anyone who has ever sat in Galway traffic on the way in or out of Connemara, which, let’s be honest, is just about everyone west of the Corrib.
The last objection falls away
The final challenge had been brought by cycling campaigner Shane Foran, who was concerned about the extra traffic the project could put on several smaller roads in the city. According to the Clare Echo, he withdrew after reaching agreement with Galway City Council on progressing high-quality walking and cycling facilities on those routes.
Last month, three separate challenges from local homeowners whose properties lie in the path of the road were settled after talks with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and the two Galway councils. Previous versions of the project never got this far, falling at one legal hurdle or another.
What is actually being built
The N6 Galway City Ring Road will run for 18km around the city, from the M6 motorway on the eastern side to just west of Bearna, heading towards Furbo. It includes a brand new crossing over the River Corrib.
RTÉ reports that the route will be 12.5km of motorway from the M6, before continuing as a single carriageway road past Bearna. Around €1 billion has been committed to the project.
For Connemara, the big win is a faster, more reliable route around the city, rather than through it, for commuters, hauliers, tourists and anyone heading to hospital appointments or flights.
When will it be built?
Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Galway East TD Seán Canney, told RTÉ he expects the procurement process to wrap up next year, with construction starting in 2028.
Galway’s local authorities and TII have welcomed the withdrawal and say they remain committed to delivering the ring road alongside better public transport, walking and cycling, in line with the Galway Transport Strategy. The road was also designated as critical infrastructure by the Government in July, meaning State bodies must treat it as a priority.
A saga stretching back to 1999
The Galway ring road has been one of Ireland’s longest-running planning sagas:
- 1999: The first feasibility study for a Galway ring road is carried out.
- 2008: An Bord Pleanála grants permission for an earlier outer bypass.
- 2013: The EU’s top court rules that route is incompatible with the Habitats Directive.
- 2016: A new route is chosen.
- 2021: The new scheme is approved, but the permission is quashed in 2022 after the planning board conceded it had not taken the Government’s latest climate plan into account.
- April 2026: An Coimisiún Pleanála approves the project for the third time.
- November 2026: The last legal challenge is withdrawn.
The human cost
Not everyone will be celebrating. The Tuam Herald reports that 54 families and individuals will have their homes demolished or acquired to make way for the road. Minister Canney has said every directly affected homeowner and landowner should be contacted this week, and council staff say they will keep supporting residents as the acquisition process moves ahead.
When the project was approved in April, Galway Mayor Mike Cubbard also cautioned that the ring road is “not a silver bullet” for the city’s traffic woes, and that more work will be needed to improve transport across Galway.
Still, after 27 years of studies, objections and court cases, it is the closest Galway and Connemara have ever come to seeing the ring road built. The Galway Advertiser has been covering the story in depth for readers who want the full local detail.
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