Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I very much welcome the opportunity to raise this issue in the Dáil this evening. I thank the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Varadkar, for his personal attendance and the Ceann Comhairle for allowing us to raise the issue.

We are only in the fourth month of 2013 and already Wicklow commuters have had to endure traffic chaos and road closures on the N11-M11 owing to flooding problems. In fact, parts of this major national roadway have been closed for periods of hours on two occasions already this year. People have had enough. At this stage they are extremely frustrated at the lack of answers and buck passing from one agency or local authority to another. We even saw an example of that from the National Roads Authority on the national airwaves after the most recent flooding.

This is a major road. We are not talking about a small back road that experiences a minor flooding problem. This is a major artery of national infrastructure. The road leads to the capital city in one direction and allows hauliers to travel to Rosslare Port in the other direction. It is an essential route on an almost daily basis for thousands of people commuting to work and going about their business. Equally, in terms of attracting investment into County Wicklow, we cannot afford to have flooding difficulties remain without a solution. Legitimate questions are now being asked by commuters and residents as to whether it is an engineering problem and if there is a design flaw in part of the roadway or whether it is simply a case of a lack of proper maintenance. Whether it is an issue for Wicklow County Council, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, the NRA, or all three, at this stage we need someone to bang heads together and to co-ordinate an approach.

I ask the Minister to bring the various agencies together and ensure that a review, from both an engineering and maintenance perspective, is carried out as soon as possible.

This is not just a County Wicklow issue but is very much a national issue, concerning a road that leads to our capital city. The N11 is a road upon which we are heavily dependent. It is one of the major roadways in the country and the fact that it has been closed twice already this year, due to flooding, is ludicrous.

See this speech in context