Galway Bay fm newsroom - A final application for the city outer bypass is on track to be submitted to An Bord Pleanala in January.
The plan is currently working through a range of outstanding issues - including a need to translate the document into Irish.
City Councillor Peter Keane has criticised the process, saying the planning application is unnecessarily behind schedule for a number of reasons.
Some of these issues are described as complicated - such as discussions with An Bord Pleanala over the requirements laid down by the planning body and the need to have the application translated into Irish.
City CEO Brendan McGrath was keen to stress that translation delays are the least of the project's concerns and very significant work is required to alleviate a range of issues.
Despite these challenges, he expressed confidence that the project will be submitted in the new year.
The submission would also trigger the issuing of Compulsory Purchase Orders - and the city chief said he did not want people to be informed just before Christmas that their properties are set to be demolished as part of the process.
Previously, the €600 million project had been estimated to be 'shovel ready' by 2021 and expected to be completed before 2025.
