Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Niamh Smyth for her question.

Proposals to deliver an upgraded route linking Dundalk to Sligo, taking in Cavan, involve linking elements of the national road network and regional roads along as direct a route as possible. Essentially, the route involves upgrade or realignment works on the regional routes from Dundalk to Cavan and on national routes from Cavan to Sligo. The latter would involve a route that passes through Northern Ireland.

Regarding the national element, as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding regarding the national roads programme. The planning, design and implementation of individual national road projects is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.

As regards the regional road aspect of the proposal, the improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads in its area is a statutory function of local authorities in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act 1993.  Works on such roads are a matter for the relevant local authority to be funded from its own resources, supplemented by State road grants.

The capital plan published in September 2015 provides for the gradual build-up in expenditure on the maintenance and improvement of the road network over a seven-year period. The bulk of the money involved is scheduled to be spent on maintenance of the road network with some limited investment in new projects.  My Department has provided funding to Cavan County Council, acting as lead authority with Monaghan and Louth county councils, with over €2 million in the period 2007 to 2014 to progress the regional road element of the project to preliminary design.  At an estimated cost of €150 million, unfortunately, it was not possible to include the east-west link in the capital plan.

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