Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan. I would like to thank the Cathaoirleach's office for choosing this Commencement matter. I know the Minister of State is familiar with Connemara and the N59. I am sure he has driven it on numerous occasions going out to Clifden or elsewhere in Connemara. Over the past couple of years we have seen huge improvement on that road. First of all, on the surface and, secondly, on some realignment of the sections between Bunnakill and Maam Cross, which started in late 2019 and was complete last year. That is a very welcome development for a road that had a very low level of overtaking opportunities. There has been a huge improvement on that section of road.

There is also work at the moment on the Maigh Cuilinn bypass, and again, that is very welcome. Some €23 million has been allocated this year for that bypass which will benefit Maigh Cuilinn but also all areas past that, such as Rosscahill, Oughterard, Recess and beyond. I welcome the allocation of funding for the N59 from Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TFI.

There is also funding for continuation of purchase of land between Maam Cross and Oughterard. There is some €700,000 allocated this year. There was some surprise and disappointment that there was no allocation of funding for the continuation of the planning for an upgrade of the road between Maam Cross and Clifden. This is an existing road; this is a realignment. This is not a new road; this would be a realignment of the existing road to improve safety for all road users and to bring it to a level similar to that which was achieved between Bunnakill and Maam Cross. However, TFI has not allocated funding and it has stated to the county council that is because of the structuring of the national development plan, NDP, which puts an emphasis on other transport projects in the first five years and allocates the majority of funding for new road projects between 2026 and 2030. This is having an impact on the preparatory work. There are issues in the Minister of State's own area, between Mullingar and Longford, and the road towards Sligo-Leitrim as well.

As the Minister of State knows, it takes a long number of years to get to a stage where diggers and machinery can be moved in to build a road. There is a lot of preparatory work required. Certainly, in an area that is as environmentally sensitive as Connemara, it takes even longer in terms of the number of environmental reports and necessary appropriate assessments and the like that are required. The council acknowledged that.That is why they need a sufficiently long period of time to allow for the preparation of the planning application and all the reports that are necessary to bring that road project forward.

The director of services in Galway County Council has said to me that, with the best will in the world and if money was not an issue, it would still be five or six years before machinery could roll in and carry out improvement works between Clifden and Maam Cross. However, now Transport Infrastructure Ireland is not providing money to allow that preparatory work to take place, so when the money becomes available, it will have to start again from scratch and do all the environmental reports and everything else that is necessary, and that will take four, five or six years. It is not proper planning nor forward thinking on a project that people assumed would go ahead, would be a continuation of the improvement works that have taken place, and would be beneficial to the residents in Connemara and visitors alike.

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator Kyne for raising this important issue. Approximately €616 million of Exchequer capital funds has been provided for national roads through Transport Infrastructure Ireland, Tll, to local authorities in 2022. The 2022 funding allocations are made having regard to the National Development Plan 2021-2030, which balances investment in transport against other priorities of Government, such as housing and health over the lifetime of the national development plan, NDP.

Exchequer funding under the NDP will facilitate continued protection and renewal of our national roads infrastructure, including motorways, and will allow for the development of a number of new road projects in line with Government policy. Approximately €5.1 billion of Exchequer funds is earmarked for new national road projects across the lifetime of the NDP. This funding will, among various objectives, contribute to the achievement of two key national strategic outcomes under the national planning framework, namely, enhanced regional accessibility and compact growth. The greater part of this funding will become available in the latter half of the plan. Some €4 billion will come on stream in the second half of the decade, with €1.1 billion earmarked for the period 2021 to 2025.

Taking this funding profile into account, it is necessary to prioritise the available funding to achieve the key outcomes of the NDP as it applies to the development of the national roads network. To this end, Tll prioritised funding allocations for 2022 to achieve the following outcomes: maintenance of existing national road assets, thereby helping to maintain them to a safe and robust standard; progression of projects currently under construction and those close to construction, such as the N5 Westport to Turlough project and the Dunkettle interchange upgrade; progression of the three major projects pre-decision 2 in the public spending code, namely, the N6 Galway ring road, N21-N69 Foynes to Limerick, and M28 Cork to Ringaskiddy projects; and prioritise any remaining funds projects further back in the development pipeline that provide for local bypasses, town centre first and compact growth. This builds on the large-scale investment in national roads that has taken place over the past 20 years, which has greatly improved regional connectivity.

The N59 Clifden to Maam Cross to Oughterard project was identified in the last national development plan as a key piece of infrastructure to be developed to planning, design and construction. This major project was refused planning approval by An Bord Pleanála in 2016. However the Clifden to Maam Cross section of the project was reactivated in 2020 and is in the NDP 2021-2030. An initial strategic assessment report was submitted to the Department of Transport in April 2021 and an updated report was submitted in November 2021. It is expected the report will be with the Minister for review and decision this year on whether the project will move to the next stage.

The N59 Maam Cross to Oughterard component of the original scheme, comprising 15 km of single carriageway, is now being delivered as a series of minor improvement schemes, the first of which, Maam Cross to Bunakill, was completed in July 2021. While this project is not being progressed in 2022, it will be considered for advancement next year.

Indeed, Senator Kyne outlined the Moycullen bypass. It is a great piece of infrastructure. I am familiar with this road from Clifden to Maam Cross as well. I hope these roads can be enhanced and improved upon and will get the attention they so desperately need. Discussion is ongoing.

Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, for the reply. He states on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Ryan, that it is expected the report will be with the Minister for review and a decision this year on whether the project will move to the next stage, and also while this project is not being progressed in 2022, it will be considered for advancement next year. I am confused. Is that the Clifden to Maam Cross section or the Maam Cross to Bunakill section? Perhaps we can get clarity on that.

What is needed here is funding to allow this project to be kept alive, to be progressed and to be ready when funding is available. If funding is to be available, as reported, in 2025 or 2026 we will not be ready at that stage unless we have the preparatory funding to get it ready. That is the crux of the issue. It is agreed the project is beneficial, worthwhile and would be a substantial improvement, but we need the preparatory funding to get it to the stage where, when the big money necessary is available, we will be ready to roll. I ask the Minister of State to liaise with the Minister, Deputy Ryan, to ensure that can be kept under review and funding can be provided to keep this project alive and moving.

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator. As I mentioned previously, the N59 Clifden to Maam Cross improvement project remains on the list of projects included in the NDP. While funding has not been provided to progress planning and design of the scheme within the current year, subsequent phases will be progressed later in the plan. However, I agree with the Senator that these things should be kept alive. I will bring the Senator's views to the attention of the Minister. The project was originally part of the N59 Clifden to Maam Cross to Oughterard scheme, which was subsequently taken through statutory process as two separate schemes, Clifden to Maam Cross and Maam Cross to Oughterard.

The project, as part of the overall N59 Clifden to Maam Cross to Oughterard scheme, will provide 45 km of improved road and 12 km of greenway infrastructure, providing linkages to other sections of existing and proposed greenway, which will boost the tourism industry regionally, as set out as a national strategic outcome in the NDP. One thing for which we should all be thankful is the fact we are putting in more greenways along with these sections of improved road, but 45 km of improved road is desperately needed in an ever-growing area and an area of beautiful scenery as well. I hope this will be progressed as quickly as possible.