Martin Daly (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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Will new consideration be given to the upgrading of the N61 road to a national primary route in view of its strategic importance for Athlone, Roscommon and Boyle and the role such an upgrade would play in supporting balanced regional development, inward investment and improved road safety? Will the Tánaiste outline what steps have been taken by the Government and the Department of Transport to advance this designation?

The N61 is a strategic road which links Athlone from the M6 to Boyle and onwards to Sligo. Athlone and Sligo are two designated growth centres and Athlone is the industrial base of County Roscommon.

There is a range of issues. One is road safety and increased traffic. A number of intersections happen between the other primary routes of the N4, N5 and N6 which are the east-west connections and the secondary routes of N60 and N63. The volume of traffic between Athlone and Roscommon, in particular, and then onwards to Boyle is a source of significant concern.

In addition to that, there is concern around connectivity. We have a dearth of public transport in County Roscommon and east Galway. We also have a massive deficit in infrastructural development. That is recognised at European Commission level in terms of the north-north west and the rest of the country. We rank very low in the European Commission’s index in relation to that infrastructural development.

This is a piece of infrastructure that is vital for road safety, the national target of interconnectivity guaranteeing an average speed of 90 km/h between major growth centres, for economic activity and balanced strategic development for the west and north west. Roscommon County Council has included it in its county plans for the past 24 years. It made a submission to the Government in 2024. It was rebutted. I am not sure the reasons given at that time are legitimate. This is a hugely important and vital piece of infrastructure not only for County Roscommon but also for interconnectivity in the west and north west between the designated growth centres of Athlone and Sligo, which are also industrial centres for the west, and for the connectivity between the east-west national primary routes and secondary routes that cross the N61.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Daly for raising this important matter. I assure him, as he knows, that this Government is absolutely committed to ensuring high-quality regional connectivity in the west. We have demonstrated that by the progression of a number of projects, including the project on the N5 in recent years.

The recently published sectoral investment plan for transport reaffirms the NDP commitment to deliver many new roads across the State. The era of not building roads is over and the national development plan shows that. Even electric vehicles need roads to go on as do buses. There are road safety issues. The mothballing of road projects is ending and the building of new road projects is commencing alongside a very significant and important investment in public transport which also matters. It should not be a case of either-or.

Projects listed in the sectoral investment plan include the N4 Carrick-on-Shannon bypass and traffic management project and the N17 Knock to Collooney project as well.

Specifically, on the issue of the N61 classification, I am informed the Department of Transport and TII have previously discussed the N61 Athlone to Boyle road passing through Roscommon town. It was agreed that the N61 from Athlone to Boyle performs the function of a national secondary road and does not warrant reclassification. I am happy to tease through that with the Deputy and engage with the Minister on that. For context, a national primary road is categorised as being a long-distance through route providing connection with principal cities and large towns or providing access to category 1 commercial sea ports and State airports. The national secondary route is categorised as being of medium length, serving as a connecting road between the principal towns and linking the national primary routes together to form a homogenous network.

The N61 route is of technical medium length and functions such as the connection between the principal towns in the regions and links to an existing network of national primary routes, including the N6 in Athlone, the N5 at Tulsk, which I am pleased to say is currently undergoing significant upgrade works, and the N4 at Boyle. The N61 performs the role of a national secondary route. I am informed by the authorities they believe it is correctly classified as such.

I do, however, recognise the importance of the N61 for people in Roscommon. The Deputy has made that point very clear to us today. This year funding was allocated for a number of road safety improvement schemes on the N61, including in Boyle, Castlerea and Strokestown. In addition, funding was allocated for junction improvement works at a number of other locations. I also welcome and acknowledge the continued progress that is being made on the N5 project, which intersects with the N61. Construction of this project is now progressing at pace and is currently on track for completion in 2027.

While we have published the national development plan and sectoral investment plans that is not the final word in terms of investment in transport or, indeed, any area. Sectoral plans highlight some of the major plans from a funding point of view. For example, each year TII publishes an annual investment plan as well. There are more opportunities to look at how we can make more investment in the road network in Roscommon and, indeed, the west.

Martin Daly (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Tánaiste for his considered response. I reiterate the importance of this N61 route in County Roscommon, which also serves parts of east Galway and south-east Mayo, to make connectivity to the motorway at Athlone as well as the interconnection with a number of other national routes east-west along its route. I would also point out the very significant heavy volume of traffic especially between Athlone and Roscommon through the villages of Knockcroghery and Kiltoom, which represent a safety issue. There are traffic-calming measures at very many points on this national secondary route, which bring down the speed limits to 50 km/h which affects ease of access for traffic between Athlone and Sligo. We now have traffic congestion in Roscommon, which is something we could not have conceived of as a county town, at pinch points at rush hour. That is something I never thought I would hear myself say about Roscommon town and Boyle but there are tailbacks going into both towns.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Daly. He has outlined to us quite correctly a number of the challenges being faced in terms of the road infrastructure in Roscommon, Boyle and the region, whether the heavy volume of traffic or the safety issues, which are really important. I am struck by how every morning, including today, we wake up, look at our newspapers and news bulletins and see more fatalities and tragedies on Irish roads.

We think today of all of those people, in particular the families at Christmas as well. Investing in roads should always be seen as a safety issue, as well as the congestion issues that arise, as outlined by the Deputy, in towns, including the pinch points in Roscommon town and Boyle. On foot of the Deputy raising this today, I will ask the Minister, Darragh O'Brien, and TII to engage with him and other Oireachtas Members from Roscommon, and also perhaps to engage with Roscommon County Council, on what more can be done in the time ahead to build on a number of projects that we have, thankfully, already funded and some that are under construction.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I take this opportunity to join with the party leaders and the Ceann Comhairle in wishing everyone associated with this House and their families a very happy Christmas. I thank them for their co-operation during the year. In spite of going over time and into the red zone, we managed to keep the tone right. I thank them very much for their help in the job that I do.