An Bord Pleanála has indicated it will rule on the proposed N6 Galway City ring road project by next May.
Galway County Council submitted a formal planning application to the board last month for the 18km route through the city.
An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIS) and a Natura Impact Statement (NIS), along with site maps and associated documentation, were sent to the planning authority in late October.
An Bord Pleanála has listed the application among a number of new cases and says the issue is due to be decided by inspectors by 7 May 2019.
It is expected that an oral hearing, lasting several weeks, will take place in the city next spring.
The proposed route would cost €600 million.
It would run from a location close to the existing M6 motorway to a site west of the village of Bearna.
Compulsory Acquisition Notices were issued to around 500 landowners along the route in recent weeks.
The project would entail the demolition of 44 properties - 40 of which are occupied at present.
Notices have also been placed at more than 70 locations around the city, informing people about possible access and right of way alterations.
Galway County Council estimates the road would take three years to construct and would involve a number of tunnels, as well as a viaduct over the river Corrib, on lands north of NUI Galway.
The local authority says it would lead to a major saving in journey times for motorists when completed.
However, a number of groups opposed to the project have questioned the merits of building the road.
They contend that enhanced public transport options are urgently needed, and say Ireland's obligations to reduce carbon emissions would be compromised by additional road infrastructure of this kind.
