Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I refer to one of the most dangerous stretches of roadway in the country, that is, the Ardee to Castleblayney road. It forms part of the N2, which is the main Dublin to Derry road. Since 2013, 18 people have lost their lives on the road. My heart goes out to all the family members whose lives have been changed forever. The Government recently committed €600 million to the upgrade of the A5, which is the stretch of roadway that runs from Monaghan to Derry. I very much welcome that. Unfortunately, no such commitment has been given in regard to the Castleblayney to Ardee road.

People living along the Castleblayney to Ardee route are asking why that section of the same N2 road has been left out of funding. So far, €5.8 million has been spent, in two phases, on this particular stretch of roadway. All that is needed now is €900,000 to complete phase 3 and thereby cement the taxpayers' investment in this roadway to date. It is impossible to attach a price to the loss of a loved one on the road. However, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, has a formula whereby it maintains that the cost to the State of a fatality is something like €2.8 million. When one considers that all that is being sought in this case is €900,000 to complete phase 3 of the section of roadway between Castleblayney and Ardee, particularly in the context of the provision of €600 million to a different stretch of the N2, it is very hard to fathom why the money would not be given. I would be grateful if the Deputy Leader could organise a debate with the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, to discuss how we can secure the allocation of the €900,000 that is required to progress the upgrade of this road in 2025.