The new Gort to Tuam motorway will help bring jobs and investment to the West of Ireland.

That’s according to the Minister for Rural & Community Development Michael Ring who jointly opened the new 550 million euro motorway this morning with the Transport Minister Shane Ross.

The new 53km motorway will have no tolls, and will be open to motorists by this evening.

The new motorway will significantly reduce traffic levels at bottlenecks such as Tuam, Claregalway, Oranmore, Clarinbridge, Kilcolgan and Gort reducing journey times from Sligo and East Mayo to Galway and Limerick.

The opening of the Gort-Tuam motorway follows three years of construction and more than a decade of planning.

Minister Ring says with this opening, we now have a seamless motorway from Tuam to Limerick via Galway, Ennis and Shannon, and he told Midwest News that the completion of this section of the motorway will help attract companies to the West.

Meanwhile, the opening of the new motorway from Tuam to Gort has been welcomed by management at Ireland West Airport Knock, who say it will provide improved access and shorter journey times between Galway and the airport.

Last year, over 70,000 Galway residents flew from Knock Airport, while almost 100,000 overseas visitors visit the Galway region annually as part of the their trip to the West after flying into Ireland West Airport Knock.