Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

First, I will outline my understanding of the scheme. Grant funding was provided under the scheme for road improvement works on the Clarke’s Hill-Moneygourney Road. Funding totalling approximately €3 million was provided between 2001 and 2005 and the works were undertaken in phases, with the most recent phase covering a section from Foxwood, where the previous contract ended, and Maryborough Hill, including construction of a roundabout on the main alignment of the junction of Fort Hill and the Borough. It is understood that further works will be required to complete the road upgrade in the area.

However, the extent of the cutbacks in grant funding meant that the position regarding these grant categories had to be reviewed in 2013. Because of the cuts, expenditure on maintenance renewal was falling well short of what was required to adequately maintain the regional and local road network. For this reason, the then Minister informed the Government in February 2013 that, given the impact of the expenditure cuts on maintenance and renewal of roads, the decision had to be made to prioritise the protection of the existing network and to curtail road improvement grants with effect from 2014. In this context the Minister indicated that while the effects of under-funding in maintenance might not show up for a period of years, they eventually do, and at that stage roads can deteriorate quite rapidly and can be very expensive to repair.

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