Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

With regard to roads, the midlands generally and the linked gateway of Tullamore, Athlone and Mullingar have already benefited from the major investment in the upgrade of the national roads programme in recent years. The upgrade of the N7 through the bypassing of Kildare, Monasterevin and Portlaoise has improved access to and from the midlands. Access will be further improved when the Kilcock-Kinnegad project on the N4 opens to traffic shortly and phase one of the upgrade of the Kinnegad-Athlone section of the N6 is completed in 2007.

Transport 21 also makes provision for the targeted improvement of a number of national secondary routes that are particularly important for regional development. These include the N52 from Dundalk to Nenagh via Tullamore and the N80 from Moate to Enniscorthy via Tullamore, both key cross-country routes linking corridors identified by the national spatial strategy. These improvement works will include the construction of a bypass of Tullamore. I understand from the National Roads Authority that An Bord Pleanála approved this scheme in June 2005 and that work has commenced on the preparation of contract documents. The further development of this project is a matter for the NRA having regard to the funding available for the national roads programme and other priorities on the programme.

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