David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Lombard for raising this important issue this morning and for his work and interest in this area. I apologise for the absence of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, who cannot be here. He has responsibility for overall policy and funding in regard to the national roads programme. Under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015, the planning, design and upgrading of individual national roads are a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.

Within the overall context of Project Ireland 2040, the national development plan, NDP, has been developed by the Government to underpin the successful implementation of the new national planning framework, NPF. This provides the strategic and financial framework for Tll's national roads programme for the period 2018 to 2027. In the ten years covered by the plan, over €11 billion will be invested in the overall road network. The Minister, Deputy Ross, welcomes this opportunity to clarify that the N71 does not go to Castletownbere but to Glengarriff, where one takes the R572 to complete the route to Castletownbere.

In the context of the national roads programme's capital budget, provided by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport to TII, significant funding has been provided towards the improvement of the N71 since 1994, amounting to more than €60 million in County Cork to date.This includes works such as major improvement schemes such as Skibbereen and Bandon bypasses; pavement and minor scheme improvements; safety schemes; and planning and design for upcoming schemes.

TIl has provided the Department of Transport, Tourism, and Sport with the following list of schemes that are relevant to the route as well as a brief commentary on their current status in terms of progress.

I now refer to the major schemes. For the Innishannon bypass, the route feasibility study was previously commenced but has since been suspended. As this scheme is not in the NDP, the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport has been advised by Tll that the project remains suspended at this point in time. For the Bantry bypass, a feasibility study was completed by Cork County Council. The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport understands that Tll has been in discussions with officials in Cork County Council and that further up-dates from the council are awaited.

On the 2019 minor works allocations, TII has informed the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport that with regard to the N71 Newmills-Owenahincha scheme Tll await progress by Cork County Council on the issue of compulsory purchase orders, CPO, and once completed, Tll expects to be in a position to allow the scheme to progress through the statutory process. On the Bandon bypass extension, a feasibility study was completed by Cork County Council. A scheme project appraisal plan, PAP, has also been prepared and submitted to Tll. Currently the N71 relief road around Bandon ties back into the existing road network via a very steep downhill gradient. Traffic also needs to negotiate a number of roundabouts and priority junctions within the built up area of Bandon. The N71 in this area is quite heavily trafficked with an annual average daily traffic, AADT, of between 9,000 and 14,000 vehicles and a heavy goods vehicles, HGV, percentage of up to 5%. The proposed relief road extension would involve bridging over the R603 to remove the existing steep gradient and construction of approximately 2.5 km of new single carriageway tying back into the existing N71 just to the west of the town.

The following are examples of pavement schemes which have been completed in 2019, or are ongoing: Leap to Dromihilly; Canrooska; Derry; Seafiels to Knockroe; Lissalane to Gallanes; Rossnagoose to Newcourt; and Toreen to Rigsdale.

On safety schemes, Tll has provided the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport with an update on the current status of safety schemes on the route, such as the Innishannon pedestrian crossing and the Bandon pedestrian crossing which were recently completed; the Rosscarbery pedestrian crossing and Gaggin Junction which are in progress; the Ballinvoultig safety improvements are ongoing; and in the Bantry west approach, the Bantry north approach, Leap footpath and Glengarriff footpath feasibility reports are underway. The Minister for Transport very much welcomes all of these improvements.