Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am aware that this is very important infrastructure which the Senator has raised a number of times. There is a fivefold increase in freight going through Rosslare Europort post Brexit.A number of key connectivity ferry routes have increased which have been discussed at a European level recently. I appreciate that connectivity is critical for it.

The Minister for Transport has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding for the national roads programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015, and in line with the national development plan, NDP, the planning, design, improvement and upgrading of individual national roads is a matter for TII in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. TII ultimately delivers the national roads programme in line with Project Ireland 2040, the national planning framework and the NDP.

In the new NDP launched in October 2021, approximately €5.1 billion is earmarked for new national road projects to 2030. This funding will enable improved regional accessibility across the country as well as compact growth, which are key national strategic outcomes. The funding will provide for the development of numerous national road projects, including the completion of projects which are already at construction stage and those close to it, as well as the development of a number of others.

The Oilgate to Rosslare Harbour project focuses on improvements to both the N11 and N25. The project commences south of the M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy motorway, which opened in 2019. The existing route runs through Oilgate village and on to Wexford where it connects with the N25 road from Wexford to Rosslare Europort through the villages of Tagoat, Kilrane and Rosslare Harbour. This project consists of approximately 33 km of high-quality route which will form a strategic link between Rosslare Europort, Dublin and the rest of Ireland. The project will form part of two strategic links between Rosslare Europort, Wexford and Dublin via the M11-N11, and between Rosslare Europort, Wexford, Waterford and Cork via the N25.

Technical advisers were appointed, and the concept and feasibility stage has been completed. The route option selection was completed in November 2021 with approval then granted to proceed to the design and environmental evaluation which is ongoing. The next stage after this is to proceed to statutory approval. TII allocated €1.15 million to Wexford County Council for the project in 2023.