Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The outcome of the process of consultation between Transport Infrastructure for Ireland, Galway County Council, Roscommon County Council and landowners along the route suggested it would be wise to give everyone involved time to reflect on the issues raised and to consider the possibility of developing a new route that works locally and has the support of key landowners.  While the vast majority of landowners along the Roscommon section of the preferred route were welcoming of the project, it was nevertheless felt that it would not be prudent to endeavour to make progress with this section in isolation, given that some issues requiring further consideration still remained.  I hope we will reach a stage soon where there is support to move forward with this element of the project. In the meantime, I will examine potential funding options to deliver the sections of the Galway to Dublin greenway in counties Kildare and Meath that have planning permission in place and may be progressed quickly. The completion of these sections would allow for the provision of a fully off-road greenway from Maynooth to Athlone. The provision of this 100 km section, combined with the 26 km Mullingar to Abbeyshrule greenway, would provide a multi-day cycling experience which would be attractive to visitors from home and overseas.

See this speech in context