Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

199. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if funding will be allocated to the National Roads Authority in 2014 in respect of necessary upgrading of the east-west route from Cootehill, County Cavan through Shercock, Carrickmacross to Dundalk; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48389/13]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from local authorities' own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the local authority.  

Cavan County Council was provided with over €2 million between 2007 and 2012 from my Department in connection with this project under the Strategic Non National Road Grants Scheme in order to bring this 75 km route to preliminary design stage.

Cavan County Council has also been allocated €400,000 for this scheme in 2013 and it is expected that the preliminary design will be completed in Q2 of 2014.

It should be noted that the Strategic Grants scheme is scheduled to be discontinued from 2014 onward in order to focus monies on the repair and maintenance of regional and local roads. The small amount of funding available for major schemes will focus on projects already under construction or to which the Department is already committed.

I will announce the 2014 regional and local road grant allocations early in the new year.