Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. It is always nice when you try to bring up a local issue that there is a Minister of State present who knows the area quite well and who knows the road I will be discussing.

The N24, as most people would know, is the main road from Limerick to Waterford. It is the one road in the country connecting two cities which is in real need of upgrade. It has had a history of getting to a certain stage in design, development and consultation but not in delivery. Anyone who lives in the area will remember that in 2004 and 2005, we went through the consultation process but in the end it was not delivered. We have seen huge developments in infrastructure in other areas since then.

We are at a key juncture where the road is divided into two sections. There is the section from Limerick to Cahir, which is slightly ahead of the section from Cahir to Waterford. This is a critical point because we have a public consultation at 3 p.m. on Friday and I would encourage anyone to go and see what route options there will be and to see what the development of this project will be.

This is part of the national development plan, NDP, which the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan, is reviewing. This project is a key part of the NDP and the worry for us in Tipperary is that the project will not continue. There are a number of elements to the project that are a real concern. This is a priority route between Limerick and Waterford. It is a major connection between the two cities. It goes on to Rosslare Europort and it has a connection to Europe from there, which is very significant post Brexit. However, 80% of this road goes through Tipperary and it has a knock-on effect for the economy of the county.

Later today, the chief executive of Tipperary County Council, Joe McGrath, the vice chairperson of Tipperary County Council, Mary Hanna Hourigan and I are meeting the Tánaiste to discuss the development of Tipperary from an economic point of view and to discuss where it can go from the point of view of his role as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. This is a significant part of that development. The people in Tipperary want that commitment from the Government and from the Minister for Transport. In fairness, he has been good at meeting groups and councillors to discuss this but we need to make sure that project stays on the NDP.

It is a major project for the region but for Tipperary in particular. There is an element to it which is significant for the people of Tipperary town, which is for the town to be bypassed. Anyone who knows the area knows about the amount of traffic that goes through Tipperary town every day. They have been sent up the hill before with a promise of a bypass and the congestion in the town centre being solved. We need to make sure we deliver on it this time and that part of this project includes a special arrangement to facilitate the bypass for Tipperary town. When the review of the NDP happens next month, it is important the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan, specifies that the bypass of Tipperary town will be a priority, in conjunction with the full N24 project.