Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This route is committed to as part of the NDP. It is a named route, so we need to see it progress. The Minister spoke about the €200,000 that was allocated this year to finalise phase 2, which is the route selection phase, but unfortunately new rules published by the Department in June of this year providing that a transport appraisal framework must be concluded mean that the €200,000 does not go far enough. Unfortunately, this is happening at a time when we are hearing reports of a €200 million underspend on roads projects for the first six months of the year in the Department. We need additional moneys to complete phase 2 and ensure that route selection can be concluded this year. We will then need new moneys in budget 2024 to ensure that this route, which was suspended in 2011, can move to phase 3.

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