Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Will the Leader ask the relevant Minister to attend the House to update us on the N5 national road project from Ballaghaderreen on the Roscommon-Mayo border to Scramoge in my area of Strokestown on the Dublin side? As Senator Chambers and other Senators from the west will know, it is a 34 km stretch of road. The project has been coming for a long time and will cost €200 million when everything is taken into account. The contractor was to be announced by now but that has not happened. I am sure it will, but it is important that we get this project up and running as quickly as possible. Much of the work has been done, including in the towns and villages that will be bypassed, for example, Strokestown, Frenchpark, Tulsk and Bellanagare, and the project is ready to go. The fatality rate on the current stretch of road is twice the average on national primary routes. From a safety aspect, it is important that this development proceed without delay. Will the Leader use her good offices to invite the Minister in order to update the House and, perhaps, give us the good news that the project will start as soon as possible?