Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Kennelly for raising the matter with me. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister for Transport. I know the road in question is of particular importance to the Senator. Road safety is a priority for us as a Government. The Minister for Transport is responsible for the overall policy and Exchequer funding for the national roads programme. TII delivers the national roads programme in line with Project Ireland 2040, the national planning framework and the national development plan, NDP. The Senator mentioned copying and pasting. I will not insult Senator Kennelly with some of the remarks in the prepared script but I am conscious that this is an important road for him and the people of Listowel. The Government has earmarked €5.1 billion for capital spending on new national roads projects from 2021 to 2030 as part of the NDP. As Members will be aware, this funding will do a number of things. It will enable improved regional accessibility as well as allowing for growth, which are key strategic outcomes. It will also provide for the development of numerous national road projects and include projects that are already at construction stage and those close to it, as well as the development of a number of others.

A major priority in the NDP, in line with the Department's investment hierarchy, is to maintain the quality and safety of the existing national road network. The NDP will have about €2.9 billion for the protection and renewal of existing national roads over the ten-year period to 2030, allocated evenly across the decade. This includes minor improvement projects, safety schemes such as junction upgrades and road realignment and pavement renewal. As Members will be aware, the greater portion of the funding in the NDP becomes available in the second half of this decade, which has meant that up until now, there has been a constraint on the spending of money. However, €411 million of Exchequer capital funding was provided for national roads through TIl to local authorities last year and the allocations for this year will be announced in the coming weeks.

l understand from TII that Kerry County Council has not been in a position, as the Senator said, to prioritise a scheme for the N69 from Bolton's Cross to the Tim Kennelly roundabout due to the many competing demands for these resources, which have been required to fund other high-priority schemes, such as the Listowel bypass, which, as the Senator said, has been a huge success. In 2024, approximately €4.7 million was allocated for the construction of new national roads in Kerry, with an additional €9.7 million being allocated for the improvement of the existing network. This was in addition to the allocation of €118 million in Exchequer capital funding that was allocated for the national road network in County Kerry between 2020 and 2023, which has resulted in many improvements to the network, as demonstrated, as we have said, by the Listowel bypass, which was completed last summer.

I am conscious of the necessary improvement to this lifeline and gateway to the west, as the Senator put it, and that it is just a 1.7 km stretch. This important project, aimed at enhancing regional accessibility and improving connectivity in the south west, will be of benefit to the region. It will improve journey time certainty and have quality-of-life impacts on road users. The project will enable safer journeys and the improved connectivity will strengthen tourism in the area while relieving congestion and delays within the heritage town of Listowel. In diverting traffic away from the town centre, the project will reduce noise and improve air quality. In addition, with traffic redirected to the Listowel bypass, the existing route will be developed to facilitate safer cycling and walking routes.

I will take back the Senator's concerns to the Department and work with him to champion this issue because it is important. The programme for Government commits to increasing funding for new roads as part of the NDP, the maintenance of existing roads and the protection and renewal of the road network to address maintenance backlogs. As the Senator said, it is about ensuring we deliver this project. I look forward to working with the Senator in the coming months to make sure we get this road prioritised for him and the people of Listowel.