Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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262. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to make major investments in the road network to alleviate congestion on the most seriously affected roads. [39082/16]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The Capital Plan outlines the proposed transport investment priorities to 2022. The transport element of the Capital Plan does provide for some targeted investment in a number of new projects. In addition, a number of other schemes targeted at removing bottlenecks and upgrading port access, will commence subject to necessary consents. 

It will take some years yet under the Capital Plan to restore "steady state" funding levels for national, regional and local roads and in the interim the primary focus will have to continue to be on the maintenance and renewal of public roads.

However, congestion, particularly in and around urban areas, is not sustainably managed by investment in the road network alone. Investing in the infrastructure needs to be complemented by public transport and other measures to facilitate the movement of large numbers of commuters and other users of transport networks. This too is reflected in the provisions of the Capital Plan.