Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Bandon southern relief road, commonly known as the bypass road, is important infrastructure that for decades has been half complete. Bandon has been through major upheaval in the last ten years. It has been flooded several times and we are halfway through a major flood relief programme, which is very welcome and will revitalise the town. We also hope a public realm scheme will start shortly and help the town and its development.

One of the key issues in the town, however, is the traffic passing through it. Bandon is the gateway to west Cork, and the volume of traffic going through the town could be from 9,000 to 14,000 movements on a given day. It is not only cars, however; we also have heavy goods vehicles, mainly articulated trucks, going through the town. That has an impact on the economic and social fabric of the town. We need to see a programme put in place to ensure we can get the second leg of this bypass sorted out. The benefits, not only to Bandon but to all of west Cork, will be great. It concerns economic benefits, sustainable development and ensuring that Bandon is a better place to live.

It is hard for people in Bandon to have much quality of life with such movement of traffic through the town. It is important, therefore, that we get movement on this important infrastructure, which is basically a 2.5 km extension to the motorway and which might cost from €7 million to €8 million. It is, however, infrastructure which is important for the development of the entirety of west Cork. Bandon is the biggest town there and the gateway to that area, and it needs this boost in connectivity. When this bypass is completed, therefore, it will be of benefit not only to Bandon but to all of west Cork. We need movement on this project, and the Minister of State might give me an update on where we are with it now.