Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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246. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the reason a junction upgrade (details supplied) has not commenced at this stage; the number of improvements queued at present awaiting funding to begin works in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3312/14]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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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 works to be funded is also a matter for the Council.

While Councils could apply in the past for grant funding for certain road improvement projects, grants for such projects are being curtailed due to the need to focus the limited funding available on the repair and strengthening of the road network.

It is important to re-iterate that the role of Exchequer grants for regional and local roads is to supplement the resources of Councils like Kildare County Council. It is, therefore, open to the Council to fund this project from its own resources.