Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Once funding arrangements have been put in place through the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 the planning, design and construction of individual national roads is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Overall, TII is responsible for the delivery of the national roads programme in accordance with Project Ireland 2040 and the national development plan. In that context, TII provides the Department with regular updates on its delivery of the national roads programme. Within the timeframe given in the lead-up to the debate this evening, the following information is the most up to-date information available to me on Tll's delivery of this project.

Within the overall context of Project Ireland 2040, the national development plan has been developed by Government to underpin the successful implementation of the new national planning framework. This provides the strategic and financial framework for Tll's national roads programme for the period from 2018 to 2027. As set out in the programme for Government, the Government will be carrying out a review of the national development plan later this year, taking account of the priorities of Government set out in the programme.

The proposed N72-N73 Mallow relief road project is included among a number of major national road schemes that were identified in the national development plan for planning, design and construction. This scheme consists of a single or dual carriageway bypass of the town of Mallow. The scheme length would be of the order of 4.5 km to 7 km. The pre-appraisal plan for the Mallow relief road was approved by the economic unit of the Department. Following this, the procurement process for the appointment of technical advisors to progress the first four stages of TII’s project management guidelines was completed. Early planning, design and appraisal work for the project has commenced. Cork County Council and its advisors are currently assessing all route options available given the constraints.

The relief road project would provide numerous benefits. It would bypass Mallow, reducing congestion and improving the environment of the town. It would cater for strategic traffic. It would improve access to and from Mallow. It would bring economic improvements for the Munster region. It would provide cycle and walking facilities for non-motorised users.

The scheme is at an early stage of development and, therefore, it is not possible at this time to indicate a likely timeframe for construction of the project. The timeframe for delivery of any major or minor works or projects that require statutory approval, whether for environmental impact assessment or compulsory purchase orders or both, is between eight and 13 years. As this project is in the early stages of planning it is not yet possible to provide an accurate estimate of the total cost. The estimated cost cannot be finalised until the project reaches the business case stage of the process.

The Deputy may wish to contact TII directly for more detailed information on the agency's implementation of the national road network, including the N72-N73 Mallow relief road.

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