Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for the overall policy and funding of the national roads programme. The planning, design and implementation of individual national road projects is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. 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.

Donabate is served by the M1 Lissenhall interchange which connects to the R132 and R126. A major upgrade of this interchange was completed in 2013. The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads in the Donabate area is a statutory function of the local authority in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. While any proposal on the construction of an additional slip road to serve Donabate would be a matter in the first instance for Fingal County Council, as the road authority concerned, it would also need to be considered within a wider transport planning framework. In this context the National Transport Authority’s transport strategy for the greater Dublin area, GDA, sets the overarching policy framework for transport infrastructure development in the region. This strategy examines the future national, regional and local road network as part of its consideration of a strategy aimed at addressing urban congestion and improving the efficiency and sustainability of the urban transport system in the GDA.

The strategy sets out principles for road development in the GDA, including that alternative solutions such as public transport provision, traffic management or demand management measures cannot effectively and satisfactorily address the road proposal or are not applicable or appropriate together, that each proposed road scheme is consistent with the strategy and Government policy, and that each scheme does not diminish in any significant way the expected beneficial outcome of the strategy.

As part of a corridor options appraisal, the strategy considers the measures needed to meet travel demand on the economic Drogheda to Dublin city corridor. While the strategy does refer to the need for a distributor road around Donabate, it focuses primarily on public transport options and improved rail services.This is reflected in the national development plan launched last week, which makes provision for the delivery of priority elements of the DART expansion programme, including the electrification of existing lines. This is to include electrification of the rail line to Drogheda.