Galway Bay fm newsroom - The Government is to announce a new hospital for Galway under it's 115 billion euro master plan for future development in Ireland.
The hospital will be one of three elective-only hospitals nationwide specifically designed to tackle waiting lists.
It's just one of several major announcements being made this afternoon at a special briefing on 'Ireland 2040' being held in Sligo.
Full details of the elective hospital have not yet been unveiled, but the facility will be based at Merlin Park in the city.
Also to be unveiled is funding for a new ambulance base at Merlin Park, and for a Emergency Department and Oncology Centre at University Hospital Galway.
It comes as a special briefing is being held in Sligo this afternoon to outline the Government's 'Ireland 2040' framework.
It sets out how Ireland should be developed over the next 20 years and how capital funding will be invested to cater for an expected population increase of one million.
Also to be announced is an urban regeneration fund worth 2 billion euro, part of which will be used to develop Galway City Centre.
Funding will also be outlined for the Galway City Ring Road, as well as the Moycullen N59 Bypass.
Other annoucements concerning Galway will include considerable investment at Ross an Mhil Harbour and Inis Oirr Pier.
Galway's towns and villages are also to benefit from a €1 billion rural regeneration and development fund.
Another strong feature of the plan is the completion of the Atlantic Corridor - which will link Letterkenny to Waterford via motorway and incorporate Galway, Sligo, Limerick and Cork.
A new Bus Connect programme for Galway with new corridors and ticketing plans will also be unveiled in Sligo this afternoon.
The briefing is ongoing, and we'll have more on the latest annoucements for Galway at 4 on Galway Bay FM News and at 5 on FYI Galway.
