Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for taking up my invitation to discuss these important road schemes along the N4. As the Minister knows, the N4 is a major carriageway to the north-west region. It is a national primary road running from Dublin to the north west and Sligo. It goes without saying that the N4 is a vital artery to this region. There are three major schemes currently planned along the route and it is imperative that we continue to upgrade this national route for a number of reasons. These upgrades will improve road safety for road users, alleviate traffic congestion and reduce journey time to allow people to plan their journeys more accurately. They will undoubtedly generate significant economic benefits for local economies along the route.

The planned Mullingar to Longford Rooskey road scheme comprises about 50 km of dual carriageway and has been in the pipeline for some time. Indeed, the preferred route corridor was announced in June 2010 and the plan is to upgrade the stretch between the N4 Dromod Rooskey bypass and the N4 Mullingar bypass. According to Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, it is in a category of pre-appraisal. The N4 Carrick-on-Shannon to Dromod upgrade involves an 11 km stretch an according to the TII website, it is also in the category of pre-appraisal. The Minister might shed some light on what exactly this means.

Earlier this year, I was glad to note that my colleague, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, earmarked an extra €1.26 billion for spending on roads and other transport between 2018 and 2021. As part of that, funding approval was given to the N4 Collooney to Castlebaldwin road project in Sligo, news which has been welcomed by all of us. I understand that the 15 km road widening project involves an overall investment value of over €100 million and undoubtedly will improve safety on this stretch of road which has unfortunately seen so many fatalities over the last four decades. I thank the Minister, Deputy Ross, for helping to ensure funding for this project, which has been long awaited.

It is clear that more focus is being placed by the Government on improving our infrastructure and a blueprint for this is contained in Project 2040. As the Taoiseach said during his recent visit to Sligo, Project 2040 consists of a national spatial plan that is backed up with real money. The money follows the plan and, over the next ten years, all regions and urban centres, particularly the north west, will be linked to Dublin by a high-quality road network. It is clear that the Government's Project 2040 plan is being implemented. Next year alone, I understand we will have a 25% increase in infrastructure spending. I hope my region, the north west, will get a fair share of that funding. I commend the many public representatives, local authorities, chambers of commerce and community groups that continue to campaign hard to ensure that the N4 will benefit from significant investment.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I thank Senator Feighan for raising this very important matter. I must first emphasise that as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in respect of the national roads programme. Under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015, the planning, construction and improvement of individual road projects is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.

The national development plan, NDP, which has been developed by Government to underpin the successful implementation of the new national planning framework, NPF, provides the strategic and financial framework for TII's national roads programme for the period from 2018 to 2027. The proposed N4 Mullingar to Longford Rooskey and Carrick-on-Shannon to Dromod road improvement schemes are included in the NDP among a number of major national road schemes that were identified for progression through pre-appraisal and early planning during 2018. The N4 Mullingar to Longford Rooskey road scheme is approximately 52 km and is located on a trans-European network transport, TEN-T, route. This scheme will improve the regional connectivity to the north west, which is a strategic priority of the national planning framework. A project pre-appraisal plan was submitted to my Department and the plan has been found to be compliant with the public spending code and the common appraisal framework, thus allowing it to progress to the next stage in terms of planning and design. The tender process for the engagement of technical advisers to progress the planning and design is now under way.

The N4 Carrick-on-Shannon to Dromod road project is also on a TEN-T route and comprises the improvement of a 21 km section of the N4 national primary route between Drumharlow townland in County Roscommon, north of Carrick-on-Shannon, and Faulties townland south of Aghamore in County Leitrim. The proposed project involves the provision of a bypass of Carrick-on-Shannon including a new bridge crossing the River Shannon and an upgrade of the existing N4 between Tully and Faulties townlands, in County Leitrim. This scheme was previously progressed through phases 1 and 2 of TII's project management guidelines 2010. A preferred route corridor was selected and is included in Leitrim County Council’s county development plan 2015 to 2021.The project was suspended in 2012 due to the unprecedented economic downturn. The scheme was subject to pre-appraisal to establish compliance with the requirements of the public spending code and the common appraisal framework for transport projects and programmes and to determine the prioritisation of the projects to be developed during the period of the NDP. The tender process for the engagement of technical advisers to progress planning and design is under way.

The N4 Collooney to Castlebaldwin road scheme is one of the major national infrastructure projects included in the NDP for appraisal and delivery. It is required for regional connectivity and to support the ambition for development of the Border region and accessibility to the north west. It forms part of the N4 national primary route from Dublin to Silgo, which is identified as a strategic radial corridor, and also forms part of the TEN-T comprehensive network. This project involves the upgrading of a very substandard narrow section of the N4 to type 2 dual carriageway from the existing N41-N17 Toberbridge roundabout in Collooney, to Cloghoge Lower, south of Castlebaldwin village, a total length of 14.7 km, of which 11.2 km is offline. An Bord Pleanála approved the proposed development of the N4 Collooney to Castlebaldwin scheme in 2014. All advance works have been completed and land purchase is 90% complete. Sligo County Council has now received tenders for the main construction contract. Government approval is required prior to the award of the project as it will cost in excess of €100 million. It is expected that a contractor will be appointed early in the new year. There are many expected benefits from the proposed scheme. An improved level of safety will reduce the number of fatalities. Improved conditions for pedestrians and cyclists wishing to access local services will increase their safety on the road and lead to environmental benefits including reduced emissions and improved water quality.

The delivery of large-scale infrastructure projects is complex and costly and takes a lot of time. As Minister, I am, of course, keen to see the projects included in the NDP progressed as quickly as possible. However, I stress that any timeframe for the delivery of these projects is dependent on obtaining the necessary consents at various critical stages, including at the route selection, detailed design and tender stages. Meeting the requirements of the public spending code and planning consent from An Bord Pleanála and an adequate capital budget are also critical to delivering these projects.

Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)
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There are a lot of projects that will contribute to this road, but we continue to look enviously at the motorways from Galway, Limerick, Cork, Waterford and Belfast to Dublin. The area certainly needs better links with the capital city. I am delighted that certain projects are earmarked in the 2040 plan and I thank the Minister for taking the time to come to the House to answer my questions.