Dáil debates

Tuesday, 19 January 2016

Topical Issue Debate

Road Projects Status

8:00 pm

Photo of Jan O'SullivanJan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

While I share an interest in the Cork-Limerick road, I will confine my answer to the north ring road. As I said, I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, who has responsibility for overall policy and funding for the national roads programme. The planning, design and implementation of individual national road projects is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland, formerly known as the NRA, under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.

Within its capital budget, the assessment and prioritisation of individual projects such as the Cork north ring road is a matter in the first instance for Transport Infrastructure Ireland, in accordance with section 19 of the Roads Act. Ireland has just under 100,000 kilometres of road in its network and the maintenance and improvement of national, regional and local roads places a substantial financial burden on local authorities and on the Exchequer. Given the national financial position, there have been large reductions in Exchequer funding available for roads expenditure over the past number of years. For this reason the focus has had to be on maintenance and renewal rather than major new improvement schemes. The northern ring road was one of a range of proposed road development projects which had to be deferred.

Thankfully, the economy is now recovering and the pressures we are now facing relate to renewed economic growth. The Government's capital plan reflects the need to maintain a prudent approach to expenditure, the balancing of investment needs and the long-term sustainability of the national finances. The transport element of the plan was framed by the conclusions reached in the Department's Strategic Investment Framework for Land Transport. This report highlighted the importance of maintenance and renewal of transport infrastructure together with targeted investments to address, in particular, bottlenecks and critical safety issues. The capital plan provides €6 billion for investment in the roads network in the period to 2022, with €4.4 billion earmarked for the maintenance and strengthening of the existing extensive network throughout the country and €1.6 billion for new projects.

While it will not be possible to address all the demands for improvement schemes over the next plan period, the plan does provide for the gradual build-up in capital funding for the road network towards the levels needed to support maintenance and improvement works. In this context a number of important projects in Cork are included in the plan, including the upgrade of the Dunkettle roundabout and the N22 road between Ballyvourney and Macroom. In addition, the plan also provides that the N28 upgrade scheme will also commence subject to planning permission.

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