Well, we may be closer to the construction of the Galway City Outer Bypass – or at least part of it – than we thought a few weeks ago. That's according to Fine Gael TD Brian Walsh, who raised hope in the last week with a special statement.

The Outer Bypass, or at least part of it that would cost €120 million, would run from the end of the motorway at Doughiska, cross the countryside in a semicircle and come out near the Glenlo Abbey Hotel.

It would not finish the work that’s needed to get maybe 40,000 cars off the road in Galway each day, but in the meantime, planning is going on for the link past Doughiska to the Barna road.

Those backing the scheme say that thousands of cars would be taken off the road in Galway that now unnecessarily have to go over the Quincentenary Bridge, and will ease the huge traffic problems on the city.

In the past week, Deputy Walsh said the Minister for Tourism and Sport had met with representatives of Galway City and County Councils, the National Roads Authority (NRA) and officials from the Department of Arts and Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

At these talks, it had been pointed out that people had to await the outcome of the current legal proceedings before progressing them any further.

Deputy Walsh had pointed out that the Bypass was currently the subject of legal proceedings before the EU authorities. It had been referred there by the Irish Supreme Court who wanted a clear ruling on whether the Bypass could proceed because of a challenge under European Law to building in a National Heritage area.

At the moment, the plan for the Bypass has been stalled by this European hearing, but the hope is that major European investments such as this can be got through the Irish system with much greater speed.

In recent weeks, the Secretary General of the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Tom O’Malley wrote to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Transport, Culture and the Gaeltacht to report on the joint meeting.

He said the overall outcome of the discussion was that the parties reiterated there was a continuing commitment to the Outer Bypass project, but it is necessary to await the outcome of the current legal proceedings before progressing the project further.

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.