Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I note that were the north ring road and the M20 to be built, the Minister and I could meet a lot quicker to address other concerns.

At the outset, I raise this issue because it is a national priority and more importantly, in the context of the development of Cork, progress must be seen in respect of the north ring road itself, which will link the M8 to the proposed M20. When one considers Cork, its layout and its traffic infrastructure on the eastern side of the city, it is completely dependent on the tunnel in respect of traffic going from north to south. Were anything to happen to that tunnel, there would be no access across the River Lee for the volumes of traffic currently passing through the tunnel on a daily basis. It is proposed to spend sums of money in upgrading the Dunkettle roundabout to make it into a cloverleaf type of junction system, which is welcome. However, the north ring road itself also should be prioritised as that would address Cork's current absolute dependence on the tunnel for its infrastructure and traffic movement. This project should not be shelved when the north side of the city is both underdeveloped and poorly developed in respect of infrastructure and what it supports in attracting further industry and opening up areas for development.

As the Minister is aware, Apple is located on the north side of the city. It is a huge employer and an international flagship company. We want to be able to capitalise on that type of company locating in the heart of the north side of the city but the only way we can advance industry and commerce in the area is by developing a proper traffic route. This requires the building of the north ring road from Killydonoghue on the eastern side to Poulavone in Ballincollig. Anything short of that undermines the capacity of the city to develop on the north side. There is an unequal balance between the two sides of the city in terms of investment. This is patently obvious any day of the week; one needs only drive across the city. There is an awful lot more development on the southern side than there is on the northern side in terms of both local authority investment and, as important, private investment. The obligation on the Government is to ensure this road is constructed and developed.

Linking our two great cities is the next piece of the jigsaw. We must put the M20 back firmly on the map. The north ring road in Cork and the M20 between Cork and Limerick are critical infrastructural developments. These two great cities could create a counter-weight. They would be two great cities coming together. We do it regularly in rugby and we could also do it in many other areas. We would have a corridor from Galway, south to Limerick and on to Cork. These are three university cities which have an exceptional quality of life and are linked by rail and road. There are deep water ports in Cork and Foynes and international airports in Shannon and Cork. There is a huge opportunity for counter-balance and to develop the west and south west, which is important. I do not want to be too parochial about it but we believe that there will be a retarding effect on growth and investment in the region if this infrastructure is not developed in the next number of years.

This infrastructure would open up the whole of the south west and west to investment opportunity in areas such as pharmaceuticals, as in Cork. As one moves up along that length of the country towards Galway, where the medical device industry is to be found, there is huge potential for symbiotic development and cross-fertilisation of capacities in the various cities.

The immediate step to be taken is the construction and development of the north ring road in order to ensure we are not dependent on the tunnel alone. Then the M20 needs to be put firmly back on track.

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