Businesses in Galway have given a cautious welcome to the news that the cabinet's given the green light for plans to build a bypass around the city.
Galway City Council will submit plans to An Bord Pleanala with hearings due next year.
President of Galway Chamber of Commerce Dave Hickey says Galway suffers from chronic traffic congestion.
"Traffic congestion in Galway is cited as the most significant barrier to its continued economic growth according to recent surveys of Galway Chamber’s members," he said.
"We need all of relevant state bodies, national and local, to drive this project forward as quickly as possible because it has been too long delayed and people in Galway have been losing out because of that."
The Galway City Ring Road is an essential part of the overall transportation strategy for the city and Galway Chamber urges Galway City Council to accelerate the implementation of the elements of that strategy that are not entirely dependent on the Ring Road.
It also calls on the government to make the funding available for these projects as a priority.
"Fast and frequent Public Transport, cycleways as well as pedestrianisation are key parts of the solution to Galway’s transport problems," said Mr Hickey.
"These solutions should be put in place as a priority in advance of, or at least in parallel with the N6 Galway City Ring Road."
Mayor of Galway Cllr Niall McNelis also welcomed the announcement of €600 million for the development of the Galway City Ring Road.
"This is a very welcome development for Galway City. We have been waiting for this for nearly two decades now. Certainly, as long as I have been in politics there has been talk of the need for such a facility for the city," Mayor McNelis said.
As it stands right now it can take up to two hours to get across Galway city in heavy traffic. That is nearly as long as it would take you to drive from Dublin to Galway.
"The Ring Road would allow us to take massive amounts of traffic out of the city, which not only leads to better traffic flow but will allow us to finally implement the kind of public transport strategy our city needs. There is a serious want for better public transport provision in Galway and this City Ring Road will allow us to implement the Galway Transport Strategy.
"If Galway is to compete on a national level for the commercial investment we need to improve our accessibility and our overall transport network. This City Ring Road is an absolute must for Galway."
