Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am concerned that the Minister has spoken about the first half of 2022. It was my understanding that planning for this project was to start in January 2022, in other words, the route would have been identified by that time. Consideration has already been confined to two possible routes with regard to bypassing Mallow and so on. The Minister is now talking about the first half of the year. I am a bit concerned about that. When he speaks about the first half of the year, does he mean January or June? There is a huge difference. As I said, the volume of traffic on this road will not decrease. We need work to be carried out. I highlighted what occurred in respect of the Ringaskiddy bypass, which is in the constituency of the Taoiseach and the Ministers, Deputies Coveney and Michael McGrath. From the day the route was announced, it took six years before the route was finally agreed and all of the court proceedings and so on concluded. We still have not turned a sod on that project. I ask that this issue be given priority and that there be no further delays.

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