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

I thank the Minister for his commitment that if additional funding is needed to conclude route selection this year, it will be forthcoming. That is very welcome. I accept that all roads cannot be built at the one time but this road requires €3 million to allow it to move to the next stage. It needs to move to the next stage because it is an extremely busy road and it is essential for balanced regional development in the west and north west from a connectivity perspective. Only today, we heard an item on radio about road safety and a report from the TII which predicts that if this road is not upgraded, we will see seven fatalities and 11 injuries. TII has a statutory obligation to ensure that our national roads are safe for all users. A sum of €3 million will enable this project to move to the next stage. I do not believe the Minister is unable to find €3 million to move this project on and to give certainty to the farmers and other people living along the road, who urgently need it.

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