Not a single complaint over Tuam Big Dig, says Manager

By TONY GALVIN TUAM'S Town Manager has assured the public that the town has not been abandoned by the local authority in regard to the on-going Big Dig project and that work is proceeding in accordance with the planned schedule. Manager Frank Gilmore added that he had not had a single complaint over the traffic management operation put in place to facilitate Tuam's new €30 million water and sewage system. He recognised that there was a certain amount of disruption associated with such a major project but he asked for the patience and good, will of the public for the remainder of the works, which he expected to be concluded by March or April next. He also added that he had attended a meeting of Tuam Town Council on Monday night and not one complaint had been brought to his attention by the elected members regarding traffic management, road disruption or any other issue relating to the Big Dig. The Manager expressed surprise on learning that people had been complaining to The Herald about disruptions and advised anyone who had a specific issue to bring it to the attention of the council's area office in Tuam or their local representatives. Project Engineer with Galway Co Council, Dermot Connolly, admitted that in a major development such at this you sometimes hit a 'perfect storm' when everything seems to happen at once and he held up his hand and allowed that this could cause inconvenience and concern for the public. However, he pointed out that this was a very complex project they had reached the 350,000 man-hours point without a single accident and their aim was to complete the work on time in March with this record intact. This, he explained sometimes involved taking a painstaking approach but they were determined to ensure the finished job was of the highest standard and they would not have to be returning in a year to do upgrades or repairs. We are in week 74 of a 104 week project. Most of the centre of town work is completed and we will be doing all in our power to minimise disruption to the public in the final phase. We recognise there has been considerable inconvenience but when the quality of the town's water, sewage, broadband and gas networks are taken into account Tuam will have as good a services infrastructure as any town in the country, he said. TD has concerns Despite no complaints being raised at Tuam Town Hall on Monday night, local TD Colm Keaveney has told The Herald that he is very aware of unease over how the project is being managed and he intends bringing these concerns to the attention of Galway Co Council. Deputy Keaveney told The Herald that there was obvious disquiet over how the Big Dig work was being managed and as far as he could see the communications which were promised at the outset to keep the public and the traders of Tuam informed had broken down. He said he was trying to establish what the situation now was and has come across major concerns, especially over what appeared to be the sporadic nature of the works on the water and sewage infrastructure project. 'Piecemeal work at areas such as the N17 Ballygaddy Road junction has left the impression that there is no central planning and the public are getting very tired of seeing the same locations dug up repeatedly. 'We should not lose sight of the benefits to the town this project will bring and it is a considerable investment in infrastructure but, unfortunately, there is a very strong perception abroad that there is a lot of repetition being carried out. This undermines confidence in the management of the project and the public need to be assured that the main contractor is operating to an arranged plan and not on an ad hoc basis,' he said. He added that the people of Tuam wanted to feel confident that someone is in overall charge of the work and every effort was being made to keep the inconvenience to a minimum. He will now be raising the matter with Galway Co Council to find out if the by-laws governing the project are being adhered to express his concerns that the timetables involving all current works in Tuam are being arranged to suit only the contractor and not the people who have to live and do business in the town.