Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this very important matter which she has been pursuing with a great deal of energy and vigour for a long time. I wish to explain that, as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding of the national roads programme. Under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015, the planning, design and operation of individual roads are matters for Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.

Within the overall context of Project Ireland 2040, to which the Senator referred, the national development plan, NDP, has been developed by the Government to underpin the successful implementation of the new national planning framework, NPF. It provides the strategic and financial framework for TIl’s national roads programme for the period from 2018 to 2027. In the ten year period covered by the plan, more than €11 billion will be invested in the road network.

The NDP identifies two categories of national road improvement projects. The first covers projects to advance to construction subject to the satisfactory outcome of the project appraisal and development consent approval processes. The second covers projects at pre-appraisal and early planning stage which are being assessed, with a view to developing a pipeline of suitable projects for development. Overall, TII considers that, taking steady State and public private partnership commitments into account, the indicative NDP budget will allow the projects in the first category to be progressed and a pipeline of projects to be taken through early planning, but it will not be possible to take all pipeline projects through the development consent approval process or to construction stage within the timeframe of the NDP. Advancing projects in the second pipeline category will, therefore, be subject to prioritisation within the overall national roads programme and funding.

The preferred route for the proposed N5-N26-N58, Turlough to Bohola and Swinford to Mount Falcon, road improvement scheme was adopted by Mayo County Council in July 2015. However, TII informed the council that the scheme could not proceed to the next phase, phase 3 design, at the time owing to funding constraints and the requirement for TII to focus on progression of the schemes identified for development during the period of the capital investment plan 2016 to 2021 and, subsequently, the NDP. TII continues to focus on these key objectives. In the interim, TII agreed that the N26, Cloongullane bridge realignment, project should progress as a separate minor improvement scheme in order to improve the safety of this substandard section of the route. The scheme involves the realignment of a 1.8 km section of the N26 at Cloongullane bridge and the construction of a new bridge over the River Moy. Mayo County Council submitted the scheme and the associated compulsory purchase order to An Bord Pleanála in November 2016. An oral hearing on the proposed road development was convened in March 2017 and An Bord Pleanála confirmed approval for the scheme in December 2018. Technical consultants procured by the council are undertaking detailed design of the scheme and preparing the tender documents. It is anticipated that the tender process for the main construction contract will commence before the end of 2019.

On east-west roads in County Mayo, I am pleased to advise that Mayo County Council has received tenders for the N5, Westport to Turlough, scheme. It is expected that the contract will be awarded later in 2019. The project involves the construction of 20.3 km of type 2 dual carriageway from Westport to the east of Castlebar and a 2.5 km single carriageway link to the N59, Westport to Mulranny, national secondary road. It also includes a 2.5 km upgrade of the existing N59 at Barleyhill, two compact grade separated junctions, including overbridges, two bridges over the Westport to Dublin railway line, 13 road under-over bridges and six roundabouts. The project will have many benefits for County Mayo, including increased transport efficiency through a reduction in journey times over the length of the scheme, separating local and strategic traffic, improved road safety and a reduction in the number of accidents, as well as enhancing the environmental quality of the towns of Westport and Castlebar by removing through traffic.