Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will be as brief as I can given that we are running late. Will the Minister undertake to prioritise funding for the Bandon southern relief road when his Department makes its submission on the next national investment plan? I raised the same issue in December last year when I asked that this project be brought forward for priority funding.

Bandon town has seen major upheaval in recent years. Having been flooded on several occasions, we are currently halfway through a major flood relief scheme. In addition, a public realm project, implementation of which is to commence in 2019, will increase and enhance the town centre as a public realm. Notwithstanding these welcome developments, the key problem for the town remains the volume of traffic passing through it, with anything from 9,000 to 14,000 vehicle movements per day. This level of through traffic is choking the town, with a significant proportion of movements comprising heavy goods vehicles whose size and capacity are unsuited to a town centre. We need an overall plan to ensure traffic is moved out of the centre so that the town can develop in accordance with its potential. Some 6,500 people live in Bandon and the county development plan envisages an increase in population of 1,000 over the next ten years. We must have a plan in place to ensure traffic is diverted from the town centre.

The proposal for an extension of the Bandon southern relief road involves constructing a bridge over the R63 road, which would override the existing steep terrain, after which a 2.5 km single carriageway would be built connecting on to the western part of the town. The approximate cost of the project is some €7.5 million, which is a small investment in the greater scheme of things. It would, however, represent a major investment in facilitating the development of the area. Bandon is the gateway to west Cork, with anyone wishing to go west having to go through it. If we can increase the potential for traffic to flow more easily through the town, there will be a broader economic benefit to the whole of west Cork. This key infrastructural project will allow Bandon and the surrounding towns to flourish. It involves an extension to the bypass, something that has been mooted for many years, as the Cathaoirleach knows. Will the Minister prioritise the necessary funding for the benefit of Bandon and the entire west Cork area?