Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Newbridge in County Kildare has seen significant population growth in recent years. With a population of more than 22,500, it is the biggest town in County Kildare and the tenth biggest town in Ireland. It also has potential for further sustainable growth and development through planned developments as well as land zoned in other areas. Newbridge faces challenges, however. The main challenge is that of traffic as the main street is choked with congestion. Kildare County Council has an important proposal that identifies a site for a second bridge over the River Liffey. Along with road construction, it would create a link between Great Connell Road and the Athgarvan Road. While the council still needs to acquire planning permission for the bridge, some of the road linkages are being developed through private sector developments as part of ongoing planning permissions.

As the Minister of State is aware, Project Ireland 2040, the Government's national development plan for the years to 2040, acknowledges the direct pressure on areas Kildare, which I represent, and Meath, which he represents. These areas experienced massive growth during a very short period in the Celtic tiger. Many housing developments were built while the key infrastructure around them was not built at the same speed or to the same capacity. Project Ireland 2040 identifies the need to support areas like these where we can play catch-up. Newbridge is a perfect example. We need to see investment in key infrastructure; the return on investment for the State will be tangible.

I am mindful that the next round of the urban regeneration and development fund, URDF, is due to open soon. I am raising this matter to see what steps Kildare County Council needs to take to strengthen its previous application and make a second bridge for Newbridge a top priority in its new application. The previous proposal sought to reduce congestion by moving traffic out of the town centre and off the main street. A new bridge would also complement other projects that have been developed or are being worked on. A grant has been allocated under the URDF towards the development of a cultural quarter in Newbridge. This will be at the lower end of the town closer to the river, where it will complement the redevelopment of our county grounds in St. Conleth's Park, the refurbishment of our town hall, which has happened, the planned upgrade of Riverbank Arts Centre and the development of a state-of-the-art library in that area. All of those elements are being funded through Project Ireland 2040 and there are ongoing plans for development of this cultural quarter. On the other side of Newbridge, further away from the river, we have a thriving retail hub around the Whitewater shopping centre.

Our Main Street has benefited from that. Our side streets can take more capacity and investment, all of which stems from ensuring we have a sustainable traffic plan for the future.

We can work on these projects because the National Transport Authority has a national transport framework developed for Newbridge. This plans to make Newbridge Main Street more accessible to pedestrians, cyclists and public transport. The project could result in investment of €10 million by the NTA into Newbridge. The proposed improvements would see the displacement of traffic off the main street, but the delivery of a second bridge is crucial to that. The improvements would result in a reduction of our carbon footprint as well, allowing more residents to move within the town, either by cycling or as pedestrians, and by ensuring that the traffic is taken away. This was identified in the previous application from Kildare County Council, which sought to help compact and consolidated development on the zoned lands in Newbridge's south-east quadrant. This bridge makes sense in a whole realm of different areas and I ask the Minister of State how Kildare County Council can put its best foot forward for the next round of funding for the urban regeneration development fund.

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