Dáil debates
Wednesday, 14 February 2024
Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate
Road Projects
9:30 am
Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, for coming in. I would obviously have preferred a Minister with a transport brief but nonetheless, I appreciate her turning up. She always does, to be fair.
Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Is the Deputy going to leave?
Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am not going to leave. To make a comment on that, I understand why people get frustrated. I would not legitimise certain actions but we do prepare for Topical Issues. I have come a number of times and-----
Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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There is also a choice to withdraw.
Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I know that.
Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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The clock is running.
Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the funding that has been provided for Cork in the past few years. We were at the Dunkettle interchange site on Monday with the Tánaiste cutting the ribbon. There has been an investment of €215 million over the past several years.
It will considerably enhance the lives and travelling habits of people across that area of Cork county and city into the future. I also acknowledge the Baile Bhuirne and Macroom bypass, which was opened by the Tánaiste last year. I am not for a second suggesting that Cork has not got its fair share of major infrastructural projects; it has. It is evidenced in those two projects in particular. However, I have fears and concerns about a number of projects. I understand that allocations for the National Roads Authority and Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, are imminent and will happen in the next few weeks. I will raise a few.
A few kilometres to the east of the Dunkettle Interchange is a stretch of road between Carrigtohill and Midleton that has many crossing points. It is quite dangerous and there have been a number of accidents over many years. TII officials will attend a transport committee meeting this morning where they will present a case for the priorities they will progress in the near future. Unfortunately, the Carrigtohill to Midleton project is only listed for safety works and, therefore, the proposal supported by Cork County Council that this road would receive a major upgrade akin to the Dunkettle Interchange because it connects to it seems to be on the back foot.
To the north west of the Dunkettle Interchange, there is a project that was previously known as the north ring road in Cork city. It has been talked about for 25 years. It has now been renamed the Cork city northern transport corridor or the northern distributor road, depending on the document. Essentially that ring road would provide many more bus lanes and cycles lanes. It is being described as a multi-modal project. It will improve access and all that, which is great. It is welcome. However, there is no mention of it in the TII document to be discussed at this morning's transport committee meeting. That is quite concerning.
I do not want to pre-empt the allocations announcement that will take place in a week or two. I have no doubt that the Minister of State does not have it in front of her and I do not think that good news will come from her. It might be somewhere else but I have serious concerns that project will be left to languish. It is difficult when I was at the opening of a €215 million road on a Monday and a few weeks later I might face the prospect of a road directly to the east and another directly to the north west not progressing when they only need a few million euro to progress through planning and design. We are not talking about building the roads yet, just progressing them to the next stage. It is quite difficult for people to understand how we can build a road for €215 million and leave behind a few other projects that are immediately adjacent to it and that connect to it that would enhance the access for everyone around that area.
9:40 am
Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister for Transport apologises that he is not here this morning. He has responsibility for the overall policy and Exchequer funding for the national roads programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with TII under the Roads Acts, 1993 to 2015, and in line with the national development plan, NDP, the planning, design, improvement and upgrading 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. The funding will enable improved regional access 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 at construction stage and those close to it, as well as the development of a number of others.
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 projects in 2023 and 2024. No one wants to hear that sort of news. That is obviously why I am here. However, approximately €491 million of Exchequer capital funds were provided for national roads through TII to local authorities in 2023. Allocations for 2024 will be announced in the very near future. Since 2020, approximately €320 million in Exchequer capital funding has been allocated for the national road network in Cork county and city. That is €320 million in recent years. This has included funding for a number of new national roads projects in the Cork North-Central and Cork East areas. The N72 and N73 Mallow relief road project is included among a number of major national road schemes that were identified in the NDP for planning, design and construction. The scheme consists of a bypass of the town of Mallow. It would reduce congestion in the town, improve air quality and allow for public realm improvements. It would also deliver improved safety in the town. The route options selection phase for the project is now complete, with detailed planning and design to follow. The development of the N/M20 project between Cork and Limerick is ongoing with a business case expected next year. This project would close a gap in the road network and provides increased opportunities for developing the Atlantic economic corridor. It would also benefit towns in north Cork, including Charleville, Buttevant and Mallow. The Cork city northern transport project would provide improved regional access and connectivity around Cork city, enhancing the mobility of people and goods throughout the urban area of Cork city. The project would ensure other multimodal transport infrastructure would continue to function effectively in the long term, hence protecting the public investment that has taken place and enabling the city to transition successfully to more sustainable transport modes. Is that the northern distributor road the Deputy talked about?
Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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No.
Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Okay. There is no mention of that, but at the same time, it is here in my document. I will bring it back to the Minister, Deputy Ryan. The proposed N25 Castlemartyr to Killeagh bypass is now funded as part of a longer N25 Midleton to Youghal scheme that will include bypassing the villages of Castlemartyr and Killeagh. This would reduce congestion and greatly improve quality of life for residents in these villages. Cork County Council has advertised vacancies for technical advisers to advance the project through the route options selection phase. I do not know whether that answers the Deputy's question, but I am sure he will tell me.
Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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As I said at the outset, to be fair, I did not expect the Minister of State to disclose the allocations that are due to be announced in the coming weeks. I am realistic about the question I asked but, at the same time, I am flagging that I specifically asked about the north ring road, as it was formerly called and the Carrigtohill to Midleton stretch in east Cork. I did not ask about the Mallow relief road because I am quite confident about it from the general talk around that scheme and TII's ambitions, commitments and comments, not only in private, but also in the public domain. It is on TII's agenda to be discussed at the transport committee meeting later. I am quite confident that the Mallow scheme will progress. That is great news for the people of Mallow.
The reason I specifically raised the northern distributor road or north ring road and the Carrigtohill to Midleton stretch is that I genuinely have a fear they will not progress. I have made that clear to the Tánaiste and to the Minister for Finance in my party. As I said in my opening statement, it is quite difficult when there is a massive infrastructural project such as the Dunkettle Interchange with all the traffic that feeds into it. From the eastern side, 120,000 traffic movements a day come through Carrigtohill on the specific stretch of road I am referring to and that feeds directly into the interchange. It takes a lot of the traffic from the Waterford direction into the city and south of the county. For that not to progress and for the Dunkettle Interchange to be operational makes no sense.
I would say the same about the northern distributor road. Much of that scheme is about installing bus lanes, cycle lanes, safety measures and all so on. There are probably projects in the Minister of State's county that are stalled or not progressing. It is up to her whether she wants to comment on them. However, for a piece of infrastructure that would benefit everyone potentially not to progress-----
Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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We are under pressure for time
Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----is quite concerning.
Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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There is no doubt that there are a number of road projects in my and the Leas-Cheann Comhairle's county that we would love to see progress. The Deputy stated that 120,000 cars go through the Carrigtohlil area. We have 100,000 cars going through Clarinbridge and traffic calming measures would be welcome in that area. While it is not in my script - these are my words - when it comes to safety works, I cannot understand how the TII cannot prioritise them.
Where there are schools and children's crossings, there has to be prioritisation of works. When we are looking at climate change, there has to be prioritisation when it comes to different forms and methods of transport that can enable fair accessibility. It is a prioritisation.
At the same time, however, it is also important to flag that €320 million, and the last €4 million in the Deputy's county, is not an unfair or mean share. We would love to get a portion of that in the west, particularly in my own county. The sort of work and relief works that would bring would be amazing. In saying that, however, the Minister for Transport has allocated national roads funding for 2023 in a manner that sought to achieve the following key outcomes: protection and renewal of existing national road networks; progressing major projects in or near construction, hence the cutting of the ribbon on the opening of the Dunkettle project on Monday; progressing major projects that are at preconstruction but well-advanced in the development of pipelines, which is the Mallow project about which the Deputy spoke; and prioritisation of any remaining funds for major projects that provide local bypasses and compact growth in Ireland's towns or villages.
The key piece for me as an outsider looking at this, however, is that safety has to be a priority at all times when decisions are being made.