Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire go dtí an Teach. The Minister is welcome and I thank him for his attendance.

I refer to phase 3 of a project to remove bad bends on the N2, the Dublin to Derry road, along the stretch from Monaghan town to Emyvale.In 2017, Transport Infrastructure Ireland allocated €600,000 towards this project, which will be phase 3 up as far as Emyvale village. Unfortunately, this will not allow Monaghan County Council to go to tender, which is very disappointing as the council is ready to go with its documentation and all it needs is the go-ahead from Transport Infrastructure Ireland to do so.

As the Minister is aware, the N2 is a particularly busy stretch of road way. It takes traffic from Donegal, Derry and Tyrone to Dublin so it takes all the North-South and South-North traffic on a daily basis and the numbers are very high. There are many dangerous bends and corners that need to be removed. It is a small enough project as it is only 3.5 km long. It is slightly ironic that we are discussing this stretch of road way this afternoon. I am disappointed and very saddened to report to the House that before lunch time, I learned of a fatality on this stretch of road. I take this opportunity to extend my sympathy to the family involved. It is a very dangerous stretch of road and the corners need to be removed as a matter of urgency. I ask that a fund be made available to Transport Infrastructure Ireland and that the Minister consider allocating funding so that this job can move to tender. Failing that, I would ask the Minister to give a commitment to the House this afternoon that this road will be committed to in 2018.