The Monivea Road has reopened this week following the controversial decision to close a section to facilitate works on the new Gort to Tuam motorway.
Earlier this year more than 1,000 people signed a petition to keep the road open during the works – and it also prompted a large attendance at a public protest meeting.
The road closure between Cartymore Cross and Raftery’s Cross in Coshla infuriated motorists who had to embark on a lengthy diversion that took them to the Athenry Ring Road.
But Direct Route, who have been awarded the contract to construct the Gort to Tuam motorway, have confirmed that the Monivea Road and bridge over the N17 has been reopened ahead of the “three week window”.
Back in January a large crowd attended a public meeting in Lafferty’s Pub in Cartymore to discuss the three week closure of the road. Over 1,000 people signed a petition to keep the R339 open.
Direct Route had said that, unlike other locations along the new motorway, there was insufficient land available to carry a full road diversion around these works – and therefore a traffic management scheme was necessary.
They also said at the time that it was not feasible to carry out the works at night-time due to the proximity of local residents.
They added that the options for traffic management had been carefully considered and, in order to complete the tie-in works as quickly as possible and with as little effect on the travelling public and local residents as possible, a temporary road closure was the optimum and safest solution.
The dates chosen for the closure, they added, were deliberately timed to coincide with the school holidays around the Easter period.
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