The N59 road between Galway and Clifden has been getting an upgrade over the last couple of years. There has been periodic calls to make it a much larger [i.e. wider] road over the years, but given the current financial circumstances of the nation, it is unlikely that anything too radical will be done. The stretch of road just outside Clifden has been replaced (the old road remains as a cycle path) and currently, 8 of the bridges west of Maam Cross are being upgraded. The reality is that there isn’t really enough traffic on the road to justify a dual carriageway, but the occasional passing lane would be nice.
The bridge contractors are doing a nice job – the ramparts of the new bridges are well finished with cut limestone blocks, but it is a bit of a novelty to drive along a quiet road at the weekend and encounter 4 sets of traffic lights along the same mile or so of road.