Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy very much. I am taking this issue for the Minister, Deputy Ryan. Obviously, as Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding in respect of the national roads programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 and in line with the national development plan, NDP, the planning, design, improvement and upgrading of individual national roads is a matter for TII, in conjunction with the various local authorities concerned.

TII ultimately delivers the national roads programme in line with Project Ireland 2040, the national planning framework and, of course, the NDP. In the new NDP, which was launched in Cork in October, approximately €5.1 billion is earmarked for new national road projects up to 2030. This funding will enable improved regional accessibility across the country as well as compact growth, which are both key national strategic objectives. The funding will provide for the development of numerous national road projects, including the completion of projects which are already at construction stage and those close to it and the development of a number of other projects. The N20-M20 project is included on the list of projects to be progressed during the period covered by the NDP.

The existing N20 is a national primary road which, as the Deputy mentioned, connects the cities of Cork and Limerick. Buttevant, Croom, Charleville, Mallow and Blarney are all major towns along the route. The N20-M20 project is included in the list of projects to be progressed in the NDP and it is being actively progressed. This year alone, TII allocated €5 million to Limerick City and County Council to progress the scheme. The N20-M20 road corridor options to augment or replace the existing N20 Cork-Limerick road are currently being evaluated by TII. These options include a new motorway, the M20, or the upgrading of various sections of the N20. These road options largely follow the existing N20 corridor.

As part of the evaluation, rail scenarios are also being considered as potential solutions in improving Cork-Limerick connectivity. The two rail scenarios being considered by the project team cover the existing Cork to Limerick rail line and a new rail line spur from Charleville to Limerick. Overall, this project has the potential to improve safety - the Deputy spoke about safety issues - and journey time reliability for passenger and freight traffic using the route. More generally, it has the potential to provide economic benefits to the region.

With regard to the next steps, an online public consultation on the possible route options, carried out by the N20-M20 project team, had a high level of public engagement. The closing date for submissions was extended to 15 January 2021. The scheme is currently at route option selection stage, where all the road and rail options I have mentioned will be considered. The preferred transport corridor is expected to be announced by TII in the first half of next year. Subsequent to this, work on design and environmental evaluation will be undertaken by the project team, in addition to the scheme business case required under the public spending code. The business case is expected to be submitted to the Department of Transport and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in early 2023 for Government decision. Subject to its approval, the submission of any necessary statutory documents for the project to An Bord Pleanála will follow thereafter.

See this speech in context