Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 211: To ask the Minister for Transport the spending under the roads programme of the National Development Plan 2000-2006; and the percentage of projects completed as measured in kilometres or other appropriate measures of physical completion on motorway projects on national primary road projects and on national secondary road projects as reportable to the monitoring committees. [9342/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Government's objectives for national roads under the National Development Plan 2000 to 2006 were as follows:

Completion of the Major Interurban Routes (MIUs) to the Border (M1), Galway (N4/6), Limerick (N7), Cork (N8) and Waterford (N9).

The upgrade of the M50.

The completion of the Dublin Port Tunnel.

Improvement works on sections of other primary and secondary national routes.

By the end of 2006 all of the road schemes on the MIU's were through statutory approval procedures. 70% of the routes were completed or in construction and all are due for completion in 2010. The Dublin Port Tunnel was opened to traffic in December 2006.

The nature of the M50 upgrade as originally envisaged in the NDP has changed radically. The upgrade will now be carried out in three phases, two of which are already underway. Full completion is expected in 2010.

Transport 21 has set down new revised targets for the National Roads Programme. I understand from the NRA that they are on schedule to meet these new targets.

Should the Deputy require additional more detailed information, I would draw his attention to the bi-annual reports drawn up by my Department and presented to the Economic and Social Infrastructure Operational Programme Monitoring Group. All of these reports (since 2000) are available in the Oireachtas library and on my Department's website (www.transport.ie). The latest report covers the period January to June 2006. The report covering the period from June to December 2006 will be available in April 2007 and its findings will be published shortly thereafter.