Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister of State is aware, I come from a constituency that has a particular strategic location in the context of transport routes. We have the N24 that, despite being in very poor condition, links the east coast with Limerick and has a link to the M8. We have a rail line with a similar route, that also links with Cork, Limerick and the capital. Unfortunately, the potential offered by these routes has been abandoned and ignored. The Minister of State will be only too aware that the impact of this abandonment of regional infrastructure on communities in the region has been immense. The Minister of State will have heard on numerous occasions, and I make no apology for pressing the issue with him once again, about the impact this had on communities such as Tipperary town.

In this day and age it is baffling to see a road with the strategic importance of the N24 not being used to its full potential. It is still running through the centre of Tipperary town bringing traffic to a halt and limiting the ability of people and businesses to go about their duties and hampering transport between Limerick and Waterford. This discussion is timely, as from tomorrow option corridors regarding the N24 Cahir to Limerick Junction project will go live, while the constraints element of the N24 Cahir to Waterford project recently ended. While this is some progress, I appeal to the Minister of State to see the sense in making full use of the potential of the N24. It would be a cheaper alternative to the M20 and M25 motorways.

As the Minister of State is aware, the Cork Limerick Alliance Group has advocated the development of a motorway from Limerick to Waterford with a link to the M8 junction at Cahir to Cork. This would make obvious sense to link east to west and Limerick to Cork and would improve connectivity to Galway, not to mention the cost savings involved. The proposal would use the existing infrastructure of the N24 and the underused M8 motorway, incorporate the Limerick Junction to Cahir proposal and would be linked by the Tipperary town bypass.

On numerous occasions, the Minister of State has said to me that if every infrastructure proposal was acted upon there would be no money left for anything else. This is why I ask him to give serious consideration to the proposals to utilise the upgrade link between Limerick and Cahir and make full use of the existing infrastructure, namely, the N24 and the M8. It is another reason the speedy approval of a bypass for Tipperary town makes sense, not just for the people living and working in the town but also in terms of regional connectivity and how the bypass would link together the projects I am speaking about. Tipperary, Waterford and Kilkenny county councils have all backed the development of the N24 into a motorway.

Figures compiled by the Cork Limerick Alliance Group have shown the alternative ways to connect Waterford, Limerick and Cork by the M20 and M25 motorways would cost well over €5 billion, while to do the same with the M24 would cost in the region of €3.2 billion. To get from Limerick to Cork by the M24 route would be only nine minutes longer than going via the proposed M20. It would also achieve far more for the Project Ireland 2040 vision. It would connect key cities and ports and make for a more efficient road system. Does the Minister of State not see that this makes sense? I appeal to him to give real consideration to it. Above all, I want to hammer home the case for the bypass of Tipperary town to be given priority when consideration is given to the phases of the Limerick Junction to Cahir route.

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