Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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754. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which funding is being made available for the Naas inner relief road which connects the Blessington Road to the Dublin Road; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9553/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads in Kildare is the statutory responsibility of Kildare County Council, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from the Council's own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the Council.

Given the cutbacks in State funding for regional and local roads since the financial crisis, it has been necessary to curtail the grant programme for major new regional and local road schemes and for major realignment schemes in order to protect the funding available for the maintenance of the existing network. The bulk of the funding allocated under the Capital Plan is, therefore, earmarked for the maintenance and renewal of the road network with some limited investment in the new projects. I announced the 2017 regional and local road allocations to local authorities (including Kildare County Council) on 24 January and all funding has now been allocated. 

However, in relation to infrastructure for development, as part of the Government's Housing Action Plan, the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government and the Minister for Public Expenditure Reform have put in place the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF) to target investment in enabling infrastructure to activate large housing development areas to deliver additional supply of social and private housing. The Deputy may wish to ask the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if any proposal has been put forward by Kildare County Council regarding the infrastructure he refers to.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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755. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the progress to date in respect of contracts for the upgrading of the M7 Naas to Newbridge Osberstown interchange and Sallins bypass; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9577/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in relation to the national roads programme. The planning, design and implementation of individual national road projects is a matter for the Transport Infrastructure Ireland under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 in conjunction with local authorities.

As regards regional and local roads, responsibility for implementation of improvement projects rests with the relevant local authority which is Kildare County Council in this instance.

It has been agreed that, in the interest of economies of scale and delivery efficiency, the main design and construction elements of the Naas Bypass widening Scheme, Osberstown Interchange and Sallins Bypass Schemes are to be progressed as one construction contract. This contract is at tender at present and Kildare County Council is the contracting authority.  

Subject to the satisfactory conclusion of the tender process, it is anticipated that construction will start later this year and that the three projects will be concluded on a phased basis over 2019/2020.