Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I would like to share time with my neighbours, Deputies Mary Butler and Mattie McGrath, whose constituencies are served by the road I am highlighting.

Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Is that agreed? Agreed.

Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister, Deputy Ross, for coming to the House to discuss this matter. In fairness, the Minister responded to Deputy McGuinness and me when we raised this matter as a Topical Issue in this Chamber last year. We invited him to come down and look at the Piltown bypass, which is a section of the N24 route between Waterford city and Carrick-on-Suir, and he said he would do so. As the Minister probably knows at this stage, 15 lives have been lost on this disastrous stretch of road since it was built over a decade ago. As a member of Kilkenny County Council at the time, I told representatives of the National Roads Authority that the road was badly designed. The 2+1 design of the N24 near Piltown means there is one lane for 3 km, then it goes into two lanes and then it goes back into one lane. There is confusion. There is a wire dividing the two sides of the road. When people come to junctions, they do not know where they are. The proof of that is that there have been 15 deaths on this road since it was built. If one goes down to the Piltown bypass, one will see 15 big crosses that have been erected by local people on the side of the road to commemorate the deaths that have taken place and to mark the worst piece of engineering they have ever seen. Local people are now calling this area the "valley of death".

I have raised this issue previously on Topical Issues. I have submitted written questions to the county council, the Minister and Transport Infrastructure Ireland to ask them to expedite this matter as quickly as possible. I was told that those who were carrying out a safety audit on the road would come back with a report in early 2017, but we are now into May. The last time I made a request in this regard, I was told that the report might not be available until the end of the year. This matter is dragging on and on. After a man was killed in an accident at the water tower junction near Piltown last year, 500 people turned up at the local hall for a meeting that was called by the parish priest. Since then, there have been four more non-fatal accidents at the same junction. The people of the area have come together and said that enough is enough. Between 200 and 300 people, many of them in tractors and cars, held up the traffic in the area for two hours as part of a protest that was held a fortnight ago. This shows how seriously the people of Piltown and the local area are taking this issue.

I ask the Minister to expedite this matter by contacting Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the local council to try to get a result in this regard. The answer is to build an overpass that would take out the two most dangerous junctions. That would provide interim relief of the problems that exist in this locality. I hope that interconnectors will be provided in the long term as part of the development of the N24 route between Limerick and Waterford, which we were promised would be done after the motorways were completed. I ask the Minister to expedite the provision of an overpass at this dangerous junction in the interim. I will hand over to my colleagues who want to say a few words on this issue.

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I concur with Deputy Aylward. I live two miles from the Piltown bypass but avoid it like the plague, tending to drive the back road to Carrick-on-Suir. I am nervous of it. It is an unusual road using a two-plus-one design which makes it dangerous. When a car is overtaking, before the driver knows it, he or she will be back in a one-way scenario. I would appreciate it if the Minister could expedite the proposed safety works.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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I thank Deputy Aylward for allowing me to speak on this matter.

A group of Members from Kilkenny and I have already met the Minister on this and I know he is committed to visiting the road in question. It is a treacherous and exceptionally dangerous stretch of road because of the spacing between the junctions. The road barrier is a steel rope and would be lethal if one hit it.

There have been 15 deaths on this road. The parish priest, members of the local community and people who have used the road to travel to Waterford have been in touch with me about it. I hope the Minister can address this issue.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I thank the Deputies for raising this issue again, which is not unfamiliar to me. I am very struck by the fact there have been 15 deaths on this particular road. Have those 15 deaths been over the past ten or 15 years?

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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They have been over the past ten years.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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It does not matter as one death is too many.

I have already addressed this issue and it has been brought to the attention of Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII. It is aware of this issue and it is attending to it, but it is probably not fast enough for the Deputies.

As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding for the national roads programme. The planning, design and implementation of individual national road projects is a matter for TII under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Ireland has just under 100,000 km of road in its network. The maintenance and improvement of national, regional and local roads places a substantial financial burden on local authorities and on the Exchequer.

Due to the national financial position, there were significant reductions in Exchequer funding available for roads expenditure over the past several years. Within its capital budget, the assessment and prioritisation of individual projects is a matter in the first instance for TII in accordance with section 19 of the Roads Act. The Government’s capital investment plan, Building on Recovery - Infrastructure and Capital Investment, provides the strategic and financial framework for TII’s national roads programme from 2016 to 2022. As Minister, I have to work within the capital budgets included in the plan. In turn, TII has to prioritise works on the basis of the funding available to it. TII allocates funding specifically for safety works based on its analysis of the network. This year it has allocated approximately €17 million for such works.

Under its HD15 programme, safety works are based on an analysis of accident density across the network. Those sections of the network with considerably higher than average accident densities are selected for analysis. Sections of road which are amenable to engineering solutions are prioritised for treatment.

In addition, TII operates a HD17 programme based on road safety inspection reports. These reports indicate which issues, for example signing, lining or safety barriers, need to be addressed on different sections of road and programmes are drawn up to deal with the priority issues. It should be noted that good pavements also contribute to road safety. TII has allocated approximately €50 million for pavements in 2017.

Kilkenny County Council, the road authority for the area, appointed consultants to undertake a review of the Tower Road-Piltown junction on the N24. The latest update from TII is that an allocation was approved to Kilkenny County Council for a signing and lining scheme to address issues identified by the council’s consultant in the performance of Piltown junction. In parallel, Waterford County Council’s road design office, on behalf of Kilkenny County Council, is currently preparing a preliminary appraisal examining options to close the median crossing at Tower Road junction and the possibility of providing an overbridge at this location.

I am aware of the safety issues which the Deputies have raised. I am particularly anxious that safety should be the top priority in my time in this particular portfolio. I cannot emphasise more the fact that I have told TII that this is a priority. It has responded in a positive way, not necessarily to this particular junction, but to this issue in the future.

Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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As Deputy Mattie McGrath said, the invitation to the Minister to meet the people in the area is still open. People in this area will not let go of this issue. Last Saturday week, they stopped the road for two hours. That was not done lightly as we are peaceful people in Kilkenny. We tend not to block roads unless there is a reason for it.

It is welcome that signage and lining will be addressed but that will not save lives. This is a more serious problem with a small stretch of road with nine junctions off it and a two-plus-one layout. It is completely confusing. Any tourists who have passed this road have said they cannot understand how the road was designed. It was a bad design from the word go and the whole system was wrong.

The overbridge with relief roads on each side to take out the two junctions where most of these 15 deaths occurred is the long-term answer. I am delighted some funding has been allocated and the Minister reminded TII that this is a priority.

Life is the most important thing of all. I know there is a priority where road safety is involved. This is one of these cases where life is at risk which has been proved by the statistics to date. Road safety and saving lives is most important, a point which must be emphasised to TII. An overpass is needed for a satisfactory outcome. Paint and lining will not save lives. It may help but it is an overbridge that is needed until the new road from Limerick to Waterford is done in 15 years’ time.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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On the surface and with the statistics produced, the arguments are persuasive. This is tragic and so nakedly awful. The figure of 15 deaths is a figure upon which any Government or State agency must act.

TII funding of €17 million must be spread around the network. The relative dangers of various junctions must be taken into account. It still is not acceptable that this area should go unaddressed. If the Deputies believe it would be helpful, I will visit the road. I promised Deputy Mattie McGrath to come down but I apologise for not doing so yet as it is difficult. If it is acceptable, I can meet a cross-party group from the area.

Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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That would be good.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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As well as cross-county representatives.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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What about the parish priest?

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I would be happy to meet the parish priest. I am sure he will be happy to meet me after today.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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What about the rector?

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I would be delighted to do that.

If the case remains convincing and nothing has been done by TII by that time, I will take what I think is the appropriate action.

Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister. His presence there alone would show how seriously he is taking this issue.