Anne Ferris (Wicklow, Labour) | Oireachtas source

That is correct. In so far as this legislation will consolidate the intellectual resources of the Railway Procurement Agency, RPA, with the National Roads Authority, NRA, I welcome it. There is a natural synergy between the agencies; they are employers of engineering professionals and other people of experience in the area of infrastructural development. There is a case for having a single authority for the oversight of all of Ireland's strategic infrastructure development and there is already a basis for the argument in that the planning legislation for such development falls under the umbrella of the Strategic Infrastructure Act applied by An Bord Pleanála. That is an idea for future consideration.

Before us today is a proposal that will see the amalgamation of key resources of two of the State's infrastructural development agencies in a manner that could concentrate professional expertise and facilitate increased efficiencies. The Bill facilitates the application of procurement expertise currently available in the offices of the RPA and the NRA to local authority procurement. There are significant efficiencies to be gained through the management of single national procurement contracts for materials like road salt for the winter de-icing programme or stone chippings for surface dressing of roads.

I am also looking forward to the rejuvenated road design programme that can now proceed because of the potential amalgamation of design resources. The delay currently encountered in the mornings by traffic on the N11 travelling from County Wicklow to Dublin and in the evenings on the return journey is nothing short of scandalous. The money and earning potential wasted because workers and business owners must crawl through traffic jams is certainly not assisting economic recovery. I look forward to seeing the application of the super engineering resource to the much-needed revival of infrastructure projects that seem to have been sitting on the backburner in the aftermath of the economic collapse in 2010.

There are a number of projects I expect to be given priority by the new service in the development of the design programme, and a strengthening of the rail service to County Wicklow is overdue. The much awaited extension of the Luas to Bray and connection with the DART line would have economic benefits for retail and residents along the line. It would also facilitate the transfer of tourists to County Wicklow. Most tourists in Dublin never leave the capital city despite the stunning mountain landscape available just a few miles away. The proposed transport links to County Wicklow will grow national tourism and increase efficiencies in the national and local economies.

I welcome the progress on the N11 public private partnership contracts for the widening of the route to four lanes between Arklow and Rathnew. Given the additional engineering and design resources that will be in place as a result of this Bill, I also expect progress on the N11 upgrade from Dublin to County Wicklow. Key bottlenecks, like Fassaroe and Kilcroney junctions, must be addressed as a matter of priority. The N11 was developed over the years in a piecemeal fashion and significant stretches are non-compliant with current design standards and cannot deal with current traffic volumes. The growth of Bray and Greystones over the past ten years or so, together with increased long-distance commuting to Dublin from towns further south like Arklow, Wicklow and Gorey, has generated very large traffic volumes on the N11. Traffic demand on the route is at saturation point and there have been too many accidents on the N11 through Wicklow, and not all are connected to speed. To resolve the problem we will need road and rail design and procurement, with the provisions for staffing before us today.

The problem of increasing capacity on the N11 from Dublin to Wicklow will also necessitate an enhanced bus service to several Wicklow towns. Before any further office and industrial development is feasible in Sandyford, Cherrywood and Bray, the necessary capacity improvements to the N11 must come about through road works, increased rail links and new bus routes. Without these improvements, there is just no additional capacity on the N11 at peak hours.

The amalgamation of natural engineering resources is a fine idea as long as it results in increased efficiencies and the effective delivery of necessary national infrastructure. There is clearly scope for achieving further efficiencies in this regard. I await with anticipation the output of the new service in its first year and I and others will be watching this closely.

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