Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)

My apologies, I was not here at the very start. I thank Deputy Brady for raising this matter.

The Minister for Transport has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding regarding the national roads programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015, and in line with the national development plan, the operation and management of individual national roads is a matter for TII in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. TII ultimately delivers the national roads programme in line with Project Ireland 2040, the national planning framework and the NDP.

The Government has earmarked €5.1 billion for capital spending on new national roads projects from 2021 to 2030 as part of the NDP. This funding will enable improved regional accessibility across the country, as well as compact growth, which are key national strategic outcomes. The funding will provide for the development of numerous national road projects, including the completion of projects which are already in construction stage and those close to it, as well as the development of several other projects. As the greater portion of this funding becomes available in the second half of the decade, there is a constraint on the funding available for new projects in 2025. Approximately €502 million in Exchequer capital funds, however, has been provided for national roads through TII to local authorities in 2025.

With regard to the N11 bus priority interim scheme, this important project commenced in October 2021 following the completion of an initial feasibility study. The aim is to provide bus priority measures on the N11 and M11, enabling buses and coaches to avoid congested traffic lanes and reduce the unsustainable dependency on the private car in the short to medium term. The project was allocated €1.45 million for this year to enable it to progress. Wicklow County Council is now working on closing out the preferred option for the combined scheme.

The public consultation for the emerging preferred option was held from 12 September to 6 November 2023. I understand from TII that all submissions were considered and detailed traffic modelling was conducted to inform the preferred option. A significant upgrade of junction 7 is proposed that will address the traffic reassignment arising from the impact of closing Herbert Road, which is required to provide bus priority in the hard shoulder between junctions 6 and 7. This is also intended to improve road safety for all users on the N11 and M11.

Wicklow County Council has commenced design and environmental evaluation. The option selection report includes the full rationale and detailed assessment carried out in determining the preferred option. The report was published on the project website in April and is now available to view.

It is important to highlight the N11 and M11 route is identified within the NTA’s transport strategy for the greater Dublin area, GDA, 2022 to 2042 strategy, as a regional core bus corridor as part of the core bus network. To develop an efficient, reliable and effective bus system, the strategy emphasises the need for the core bus network to be developed to achieve: continuous priority for bus movement on the portions of the core bus network; enhanced bus lane provisions on these corridors; and removal of current delays on the bus network, enabling the bus to provide a faster alternative to car traffic along these routes.

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