Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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On 1 February 2007, Ballinagar Bridge, Lixnaw, Co. Kerry, collapsed when a truck transporting pigs weighing 43 tonnes attempted to cross over it. The bridge had a carrying capacity of just 12 tonnes, which was clearly indicated on the approach roads. This resulted in a court conviction for the driver and an acceptance of liability by the insurance company. The quantum of liability is being decided between the insurance company and Kerry County Council. It is expected to be a substantial figure, which will reduce the overall cost of replacing the bridge for the Department.

A grant of €100,000 was allocated to Kerry County Council in 2008 for Ballinagar Bridge under the specific improvement grant scheme. This enabled Kerry County Council to design a new bridge, complete a short listing process of suitable contractors and draw up tender documents. In the 2009 regional and local roads specific improvement grants announced last February, a figure of €600,000 was allocated by the Minister for Transport for Ballinagar Bridge. The announcement was enthusiastically received and welcomed locally. However, in the revised figures for the 2009 specific improvement grants published on 14 April, the allocation for the bridge was reduced from €600,000 to €25,000, for no apparent reason. This announcement came as a major bombshell for the local community and was greeted with much dismay and anger.

The bridge was used extensively by local commuters between Lixnaw and Ballyduff and during the summer by numerous tourists visiting Ratoo round tower and Ratoo Abbey on the Ballyduff side of the River Brick and the seaside resort of Ballybunion. A number of farmers with land on both sides of the River Brick have been seriously inconvenienced since the bridge collapsed. They have to make a ten mile round trip to access their lands. In addition, a large number of people from Ballyduff who cut turf on the Lixnaw side of the River Brick in Ballinagar Bog, have to travel over ten miles to access their bogs.

On 27 April, Kerry County Council was informed by the regional and local road division of the Department of Transport that, "Unfortunately following the supplementary budget in April the Department is not in a position to fund the construction of Ballinagar Bridge at this time and the request for approval to proceed to tender is denied". I appeal to the Minister to reverse this decision and allow Kerry County Council to proceed to tender for this project. Given the downturn in the construction industry, the likelihood is that the tenders will be very competitive, as was the case with Castleisland bypass recently where the estimated cost was €16 million and the successful tender was €12 million, a €4 million reduction.

I understand a suggestion was made last Monday night at a public meeting in Ballyduff that a replacement Bailey bridge would be acceptable, similar to the original one. However, it would seem that there is just a small differential between the cost of a Bailey bridge and the one designed by Kerry County Council. The approach roads will have to be raised and realigned because of flooding and the abutments will have to be rebuilt, whether it is a Bailey bridge or the Kerry County Council design, so it seems that the latter approach is better and the officials of the council want to take it.

As most of the financial cost for this bridge will be incurred in 2010, with part funding for the scheme from the insurance settlement being available in the near future, going to tender now would seem to be a practical approach. There are moneys within the allocation by the Minister that could be used for this road, so half the funding is there. In view of the strategic importance of Ballinagar Bridge to Lixnaw-Ballyduff and the greater north Kerry community, I strongly urge the Minister to instruct the regional and local roads division in his Department to grant approval to Kerry County Council to proceed to tender immediately. If a bridge of this importance collapsed two and a half years ago in any other part of Ireland, for example in County Meath, it would have been long since replaced. I look forward to the Minister of State, Deputy Moloney's reply on behalf of the Minister and I hope it will contain a change of approach by the Department of Transport and hope for the people of Ballyduff and Lixnaw.

John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Again, I am taking this Adjournment matter, in this instance on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Dempsey. County councils and other major local authorities are responsible for managing and maintaining all roads and bridges on the regional and local road network in their area. Each year, the Department of Transport assesses the regional and local roads programmes of local authorities and makes substantial grant allocations towards them. Local authorities are also expected to commit an appropriate share of their own resources for this purpose, and the grants that the Department of Transport provide supplement these.

The bridge at Ballinagare was damaged in February 2007. That bridge was a temporary structure and had a weight restriction imposed. Subsequent to the collapse of the bridge, Kerry County Council developed proposals to provide a new replacement bridge at the location and the council sought grant aid from the Department of Transport. In 2008, a road grant of €100,000 was allocated to the council under the specific improvement grants scheme to facilitate design work for a new bridge. Kerry County Council included the bridge at Ballinagare in its application for grant aid in 2009 and, in February last, initial road grant allocations were made. At that time, a grant of €600,000 was proposed to facilitate construction work on the bridge.

The current economic climate and the difficult position of the Exchequer has, unfortunately, had an impact on the Government's ambitious plans for the development of our road network. In reviewing NDP expenditure for the rest of 2009 it was found necessary to reduce the overall level of Exchequer funds available for improvement works to regional and local roads. This impacted on all local authorities. The grants originally allocated in February 2009 were reviewed and revised road grants issued to all local authorities on 14 April 2009.

The revised road grants allocated to Kerry County Council in April amount to €17.985 million. This is a significant supplement to the expenditure proposed by Kerry County Council from its own resources at a time when public finances are under serious pressure. This grant aid was allocated under a number of grant categories and included a total of €3.1 million for ten specific improvement projects. These included the proposed new bridge at Ballinagare which was allocated €25,000.

In deciding on the revised grant allocations, the approach taken was to fund legal contractual commitments and prioritise work necessary to complete projects already under construction. Local authorities were, however, also advised that there would be flexibility as to how the grant aid may be used. It is open to Kerry County Council, if it wishes, to reprioritise the expenditure of the €3.1 million which is available for specific improvement works in 2009 and to submit an alternative programme to the Department of Transport which could allow construction work to start on the bridge. This is a matter for the council to decide in the first instance and Department of Transport officials are available to assist the council in reviewing its road programme if the council requests.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for that very positive response.

John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Deenihan for his response.