Another fatality warning at deadly Galway junction
Transport Infrastructure Ireland is 'putting a price on people 's lives', according to Kilmeen Cross and N65 campaigners who have ramped up their road safety campaign following a visit by Independent Ireland leader Michael Collins.
Campaigner Jackie Flannery said construction of a roundabout with lights must be finalised as a matter of urgency while local Cllr Declan Kelly has confirmed that Deputy Collins will raise the matter in the Dáil.
“They are putting a price on people's lives,” said Ms Flannery. “It has to be done. We don't want to see any other fatality. Christmas is coming and are we going to be another year in the dark?”
Meanwhile, Cllr Kelly said the junction has been an issue for local residents for 25 years.
“I was appointed as a parish priest in Leitrim in 2007 and that junction hasn't changed an iota since that time,” he said.
Cllr Kelly said TII must provide millions of euro in funding for safety enhancements at Kilmeen Cross and along the N65.
“A State agency has a chokehold on developments on the N65,” he said.
“Our hands are tied behind our back because of a State agency. What can we do? TII has to come up with major funding of a couple of million.”
He also called on Minister of State at the Department of Transport Seán Canney to act immediately.
“If he can come up with the funding for the Western Rail Corridor, he can secure a commitment to get us a couple of million for Kilmeen Cross and what needs to be done on the N65,” he said.
Cllr Kelly has also raised the issue of Healthlawn, where a stop-and-go traffic light system has been in place since a serious incident two years ago.
“We are being fobbed off by TII,” he said.
“In relation to the Healthlawn debacle, there was a meeting with Oireachtas members and TII but we were not invited.
“As county councillors, we are dealing with this every day, and we should have the opportunity to have our say.”
For Jackie Flannery, the campaign has personal resonance.
Ten years ago, her father, Kieran Flannery (84), of Hollyhill, Gurtymadden, Loughrea , died following a road traffic incident on the bog road on the N65.
With the support of her neighbour Gavin Treacy, they formed the Kilmeen Cross and N65 Action Group one year later, determined to prevent another family from suffering the same heartbreak.
Now, almost a decade after that first meeting, the community is still waiting for the safety measures campaigners have been seeking at Kilmeen Cross.
Following a public consultation, Transport Infrastructure Ireland allocated €50,000 in 2023 to progress the design and environmental assessment of the scheme.
Galway County Council 's roads design section completed a preliminary design in 2024. However, the project subsequently stalled.
Despite that progress, funding for construction remains unavailable and there is no indication of when work will begin.
Meanwhile, the action group has spent almost nine years lobbying public representatives and TII for improvements.
“This is not rocket science,” said Jackie. “The design is there. We have all agreed what we want to see there. It's time to get on with it and finish the job.”
She said the emphasis is continually placed on local residents to keep the issue on the agenda.
“It is ten years next year since this campaign started. If Galway County Council can't do the work, they need to put it back to TII. They would normally do this, and it has been put on the long finger.”
Campaigners are now seeking a meeting with Loughrea Municipal District councillors in advance of the upcoming budget and with Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien TD.
They feel the N65 is being left behind, with Jackie also highlighting safety concerns at the Kilcooly bend. “That has been going on since I was in national school,” she said.
She has called for a full overhaul of safety measures along the N65. “We need a proper safety system and barriers coming from the Loughrea direction to Gurtymadden and Portumna,” she said.
“We need a full safety system at that bend. We are not in favour of rumble strips as they don't do the business. We want more speed vans as cars are whizzing past.
“The traffic count here is over 20k per day on this road, with cars, vans, heavy goods vehicles and articulated trucks. This is a very busy road.”
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.