Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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18. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding the second bridge and southern relief route for Newbridge, County Kildare; the recent progress on same; his plans to bring the project to fruition; the target date for opening; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18556/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from local authorities' own resources supplemented by State grants, where applicable.

The major cuts to funding for regional and local roads during the post 2008 recession resulted in the build-up of a substantial backlog of works across the country. The estimated cost of the backlog is in excess of €5 billion. Because of the pressures on the regional and local road network, approximately 90% of available Exchequer grant assistance to local authorities under the Regional and Local Road Grant Programme is being directed to maintenance and renewal works rather than for new roads or for road realignments.

Any road improvement projects proposed by local authorities for consideration for funding under the Regional and Local Road Grant Programme are assessed by the Department on a case-by-case basis. All projects put forward by local authorities for consideration must comply with the requirements of the Public Spending Code (PSC) and my Department's Capital Appraisal Framework (CAF). Given the limited funding available for regional and local road improvement works it is important for local authorities to prioritise projects within their overall area of responsibility with these requirements in mind.

No application for funding has been received by my Department from Kildare County Council in relation to the proposed second bridge in Newbridge and Southern Relief route.

Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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19. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding the Athy distributor route; the recent progress; his plans to bring the project to fruition; the target date for opening; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18557/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from Councils' own resources supplemented by State road grants.

The Athy Southern Distributor Road is one of the limited number of strategic regional and local road improvement schemes being undertaken under the National Development Plan.

Implementation of the Athy Southern Distributor Road is the responsibility of Kildare County Council. Following the conclusion of the tender process for the main construction contract for the scheme, the contract was awarded in late 2021 and the construction programme is underway.