Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this very important issue. The Minister for Transport has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding in relation to the national roads programme.Once funding arrangements have been put in place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland under the roads Acts 1993 to 2015 and in line with the national development plan, 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. The Government has earmarked €5.1 billion for capital spending on new national roads projects from 2021 to 2030 as part of the NDP. This funding will enable improved regional accessibility throughout the country as well as compact growth, which are key national strategic outcomes. The funding will provide for the developmentof 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. As the greater portion of this funding becomes available in the second half of the decade, this means there is a constraint on the funding available for new projects this year. However, most national road projects in the NDP will continue to be progressed in 2024.

A major priority in the NDP, in line with Department's investment hierarchy, is to maintain the quality and safety of the existing national road network. The NDP foresees an Exchequer allocation of circa €2.9 billion for the protection and renewal of existing national roads over the ten-year period for 2030, allocated fairly evenly across the decade. Approximately €491 million of Exchequer capital funds have been provided for national roads through TII to local authorities in 2023. The 2024 allocations will be announced in the very near future.

A national roads bypass for Thurles was considered but the project was suspended in 2011, primarily due to the economic downturn. The project was not included in the current national development plan which was announced in 2021, or indeed in the previous NDP. Therefore, TII and Tipperary County Council have not been in a position to provide further funding for the project at this time. The Thurles inner relief road is a regional road project being developed by Tipperary County Council, however. This scheme comprises an inner relief road between the N62 national secondary road at the junction with Clongour Road and the Mill Road to the east of the River Suir. This project is mentioned in the NDP as being at the early stages of planning and design and subject to the appropriate approvals. The capital plan published in September 2015 outlined proposed transport investment priorities to 2022. The Thurles inner relief road was not included among the projects identified for development during that period. However, the Department, through the strategic regional and local roads grant, allocated funding in 2022 and 2023 to facilitate Tipperary County Council in progressing the scheme towards completion. Strategic grant allocations for 2024 will be notified to local authorities as part of the general grant allocation process which will be issued in the coming weeks. I have no doubt that members of the community and indeed Tipperary County Council will be able to get more detail from the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, at their meeting this week, when he will be able to provide a timeline or indeed indication as to funding.