Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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248. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when the reclassification of L5433 to a regional road and the reclassification of R444 to a minor road will commence. [29759/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As regards the classification of the L5433 and the R444, the classification of roads as either a national road or a regional road is a Ministerial responsibility under section 10 of the Roads Act, 1993, as amended. A public road, other than one classified as a national road or a regional road, is a local road.

Roads classified as regional or local roads fall under the responsibility of local authorities. The construction, repair and maintenance of these roads is funded by local authorities’ own resources supplemented by State grants.

Requests to classify a road as a national road or regional road are considered, in consultation with TII as appropriate. Criteria for consideration are numerous and include items such as function of road including access to towns and Cities, major ports and airports, geographical regions, population centres and tourist regions. It also includes considerations of continuity of classification throughout the length of road, whether roads are feeder connections or links to the national road network, cross section, alignment and structural integrity as well as amount of heavy commercial vehicles. Funding source for road improvement is not a consideration of classification of road type.

The Department carries out periodic reviews of classifications and these proposals, in relation to the L5433 and the R444, will be considered as part of the next such review. This is likely to take place in 2022.