Contracts have been signed in Galway for the construction of the €605 million Ballinasloe-Galway dual carriageway - one of the last sections of the new Dublin-Galway motorway.
The 57.6km road, of which 56km will be dual carriageway, will include bypasses of Oranmore, Craughwell, Loughrea, Kilreekill and Ballinasloe. A link road will bring traffic from the new dual carriageway to the Loughrea relief road. Work is scheduled for completion in 2010.
The contract price does not include acquisition costs which were not revealed, but are expected to be at least €200 million.
The road is to be developed as a public-private partnership and will include the second toll between Dublin and Galway. Prices for a car are in the region of €1.70.
The project has been awarded to the Icon consortium which comprises FCC Construction, SA and Itinere Infraestructuras, both major companies from Spain, and PJ Hegarty & Sons from Ireland.
At its western end, the dual carriageway will link up with the main N6 into Galway city.
It will also link up with the proposed N6 Galway outer bypass which will bring westbound traffic to the north of Galway between the city and Lough Corrib and across the N59 Oughterard road, before turning southwest to join the existing coast road between Barna and Furbo.
At the eastern end, the new dual carriageway will link to the existing N6 east of Ballinasloe. It will ultimately link to the proposed Ballinasloe-Athlone section of the N6, construction of which is due to start in 2008.
Work on the section between Athlone and Kilbeggan is under way and is due for completion in 2008. A section between Kilbeggan and Tyrrellspass is due to open later this year. The contract with the consortium will run for 30 years from yesterday. On completion, Icon will be able to collect tolls for about 27 years.
The NRA estimates that if it was to undertake the tasks required of Icon, the cost would be in the order of €475 million (excluding land and preliminary design costs) at January 2007 values.
In addition, the costs of operating and maintaining the roads would be in the order of €130 million at the same 2007 values.
