Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 868: To ask the Minister for Transport the position regarding a project (details supplied); the timescale for this project; the funding that has been spent on this project to date in 2010; the funding that has been set aside for this project to date in 2010; and when he expects the project to be completed. [32972/10]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads, in its area, is a statutory function of each road authority in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act, 1993. Works on such roads are a matter for the relevant local authority to be funded from its own resources supplemented by State road grants.

The initial selection and prioritisation of projects to be funded is also a matter for the local authority.

On 22nd February 2010, I announced a total of €411,408,500 for the maintenance and improvement of regional and local roads in 2010. From this allocation, Kildare County Council is being provided with €12,922,893.

In deciding on allocations for 2010 my priority was to protect the existing network along with the massive investment in it over the last number of years and to carefully target resources to address, on a priority basis, the most urgently required repairs resulting from the extensive damage caused by the severe weather earlier in the year.

My Department received an application from Kildare County Council in November 2008 for 100% funding of the Athy Southern Distributor Road at an estimated cost of €42 million. In order to increase the monies available for the maintenance and rehabilitation of road pavements, it has been necessary to reduce the grant allocations for major new road schemes and for major realignment schemes. As a result of this, no funding is being provided for this project in 2010.