Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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60. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his contingency plan to ensure that regional and secondary roads are properly maintained in view of State under-funding of roads for the past decade; the level of funding he anticipates will be available to his Department for this purpose in 2018; if his Department has conducted any review of the potential problems that will be caused if funding is not brought to a sufficient level to ensure that roads are properly maintained; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14225/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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​As the Deputy is aware, public funding for Ireland’s national roads fell significantly during the recession.  Analysis undertaken by my Department resulting in the publication of a Strategic Framework for Investment in Land Transport in 2015 estimated on a conservative basis that expenditure of €580 million per annum is needed to keep the regional and local road network in a steady state condition.  This analysis also pointed to a similar gross steady state requirement for national roads (taking into account commitments for PPP road projects).

Due to the economic downturn, for the last number of years only half the required road pavement works have been undertaken on the regional and local road network. This means that the backlog of repair works is increasing and a recent survey based on limited data suggests that the backlog of repairs has increased from €3 billion in 2005 to over €10 billion in 2016.

The 7 year transport element of the Capital Plan published in September 2015 includes provision for expenditure of €6 billion on the road network.  The Capital Plan provides for a gradual build up in capital funding from a relatively low base in 2016 towards the levels needed to support maintenance and improvement works by 2022.  I announced the 2017 regional and local road allocations on 24 January 2017. While 2017 sees an increase in overall funding, it will take some years yet under the Capital Plan to restore "steady state" funding levels for land transport and to progress the improvement projects included in the Plan.  Allocations in respect of regional and local roads in 2018 are part of the Estimates process.