Mr. John Mulholland:

I will speak on the subject of maintenance cycles. Members will be familiar with the operation known as surface dressing, whereby chippings and bitumen are applied to road surfaces. This process is generally carried out on a cycle of seven to ten or 12 years and is important not only for skid resistance and public safety but also for preserving the integrity of the road. Many people observe in their daily travels the operation known as strengthening, which involves the application of tarmacadam layers to the road to protect the asset. This operation is prioritised based on the condition of the road surface. Current levels of funding only allow for 40% of roads to be completed in these cycles. They are desirable cycles but we are currently dipping below them.

Additional pressures on the road network include winter maintenance. The application of salt or grit to roads makes them safe for motorists and allows the ordinary conduct of business during the winter. A significant level of effort has been invested in this work by local authorities and the National Roads Authority, with the co-operation of the IFA and other community interests, over the past several years and we are now at a fairly decent standard. The pressures of reduced funding will have an impact in that we will not be able to meet some of the targets currently in place, particularly given that the motorway network will be maintained by contractors over the coming period.

Health and safety issues can be considered under two headings, first, for the workers on site and, second, for motorists and people in the vicinity of roadworks, such as local communities, farmers trying to access lands and local businesses. Heavy loading has an impact on the road network, particularly local and regional roads. This will be more manifest in the years ahead, particularly in the agriculture and forestry sectors. The lifting of the milk quota in 2015 may have implications for access to remote farming areas where progressive farmers try to increase dairy yields. We already know of cases in which creamery suppliers have difficulties entering local road networks.

Material prices on the wholesale market for macadam and asphalt have escalated between 2008 and 2013. Bitumen emulsion, which is more commonly known as tar, is the liquid material applied to a road prior to the application of chippings. This product has also increased in price in the last two years. Prices have escalated since our troubles first became apparent. The price of stone has also increased. The upward trend in the price of bitumen based products from a base year of 2005 to the present has put significant pressure on shrinking budgets. The one factor that has seen a fall is the labour input due to decreased human resources and rates of pay. Generally, however, the materials required have increased in price.

How do we prioritise roads for investment? Volume of traffic is a critical factor. It makes sense that roads on which the majority of people commute to work are prioritised for investment to ensure the road surface meets a reasonable standard. Engineering inspections can be visual or based on limited testing by means of various devices to examine road conditions. This generally applies in the case of regional roads but local roads tend to be assessed on the basis of visual inspections for cracking, potholes, rutting and problems in the wheel tracks where heavy loading occurs. The maintenance cycle also involves a prioritisation exercise. For example, people in a particular county will know which roads have been treated over the period in question. There could be gaps of ten or 20 years during which roads were not treated. Local representation also plays an important role, whereby communities, elected representatives and others may be able to identify specific problems. These representations are noted and form part of the decision making matrix.

Members might not be aware that each local authority, probably on a three-year cycle, adopts a multi-annual programme. These programmes are approved and sent to the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. That is the baseline for investment in the years ahead.

On the funding categories for regional and local roads, obviously regional roads are the priority because they carry the most traffic. They are also the lifeblood of most communities in the context of business, trade and tourism. Funding for these roads is provided by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport in respect of strengthening, surface dressing and discretionary maintenance. The latter involves maintaining drainage ditches, cutting back roadside vegetation and repairing defects. Unit rates and efficiency are a priority for strengthening and surface dressing. We must comply with particular unit rates that are specified and agreed with the Department.