Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise the issue of the urgent investment needed in the N11 in north Wicklow to alleviate serious and growing congestion, both in the morning and evening commutes. About a year ago, the N11 became a car park at about 7.30 a.m. It is now a car park near Kilmacanogue and some of the Bray junctions by about 6.45 a.m. It is a problem that is rapidly getting worse and thousands upon thousands of men and women, in the morning and in the evening, are stuck in this gridlock and are desperately looking for targeted investment in the N11 to alleviate the congestion. I have written to the Minister about this many times and I have requested several meetings with him, all of which have been refused, which is why I have had to bring it to the floor of the House. However, I have been working closely with some State agencies. In April last year, following requests, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, completed a needs assessment of the route around north Wicklow and it concluded that there was a serious congestion problem. It helpfully identified targeted investment that was required. Some of it related to upgrading junctions and some related to a third lane being provided between junction 6, which is the central Bray exit, and junction 8. The report states: "Any further delay in investment in this section of the M11/N11 will lead to further increases in congestion along the corridor and indeed within the wider area; and will further constrain growth in the north and east of Wicklow and the Dún Laoghaire Rathdown area, as a result of reduced competitiveness and productivity."

In December, TII informed me that it is proceeding with procuring professional services to start putting documentation together for the design of the pieces of road it has identified to alleviate congestion. It also confirmed to me that no funding has been made available from the Department to proceed with the work. We have a major road network, the N11, the main artery for commuters from Wicklow to and from Dublin. We have a capacity study from the State which confirms that there is a serious and growing issue; a study from the State which identifies solutions to that issue; and a report from the State confirming that failure to invest will not only make it worse but will further harm economic development in the area, but unfortunately we have no funding. I raise the issue in light of a recent An Bord Pleanála ruling on a development for the old Fassaroe area for 3,000 houses, an active open space, hopefully a sports campus and community hub and many local jobs. An Bord Pleanála gave three reasons for refusing it. Two would be easily dealt with by any future development plan but the third, which can only be dealt with by this Government and the Minister, is that with the congestion, the capacity on the N11 simply does not exist to allow this to happen. In the middle of a housing crisis, we have a development ready to go which would provide approximately 3,000 houses, local jobs and a sports campus, but lack of investment in the N11 is probably the single biggest impediment to that. Given all that, does the Minister accept TII's findings that the congestion is serious and getting worse and that failure to invest is damaging Wicklow and will continue to damage Wicklow and parts of south Dublin? Does he accept that failure to invest is stopping the development of 3,000 new houses in Fassaroe and everything that goes with that? Will he commit to seeking further investment for the project to alleviate congestion on the N11? Will he commit to seeking the funding required for this upgrade in the forthcoming capital investment plan?

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