Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

When I hear of a carryover of expenditure of almost €130 million related to transport, I have to ask why are the people of County Tipperary who live along the route of the N24 faced with continuing funding uncertainty regarding the N24 project? Both parts of this project have in recent years been subject to uncertainty. Tipperary County Council has been forced to write to the Department expressing concern at this.

In recent weeks, I attended the design update for the Limerick Junction to Cahir project, but it is again subject to the uncertainty of the funding regime and sponsors of the project have to beg for money each time. This is an important project. It is important for road safety along the N24 and along its route, the interests of specific towns and villages are intertwined with it. I was told that certain parts of the project could be considered as stand-alone and could be fast tracked if the money was available. However, without funding, the elements that could provide the most immediate relief are beyond us. With this in mind and the intolerable traffic situation in Tipperary town and the effect it has on civil life, business and tourism, this funding uncertainty must end.

Funding issues are also faced on the Cahir to Waterford part of the project, slowing down progress and raising questions about the Minister's commitment to the south east as well as the mid-west. Today, a meeting of the Carrick-on-Suir and Waterford councils took place. There are serious concerns about this project. Huge money has been spent to complete stage 2 but stage 3 is stalled because of a lack of funding. There was cross-party support for stage 3 to be funded and completed as soon as possible and the money that has been spent so far will be wasted. The N24, when finished, will connect Limerick on the west coast to the east in Waterford and will be of huge benefit to all the regions in this corridor. People need to be put first and that must apply to any future sequencing of projects such as this one.

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