Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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17. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has an update on the funding for Mallow relief road and the Cork city north distributor road; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4557/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I wish to thank the Deputy for his question. The Mallow Relief Road is identified as a project for consideration in the current National Development Plan. Town bypasses allow for traffic to be redirected from the centre of our towns and villages, freeing them up for pedestrians and cyclists, improving air quality, and allowing public realm improvements. In the case of Mallow, this will have a significant impact on HGV traffic, which is a particular problem for the town. It is also anticipated that this scheme will enhance active travel linkages to Mallow train station. This is in keeping with the "Town Centre First" policy, and supports Compact Growth in town centres, which is a National Strategic Outcome.

A preferred route has now been selected, and the next phase will involve the detailed design and environmental evaluation of the scheme. I can confirm that €100,000 was allocated for the Mallow Relief Road scheme in 2023. As with all national roads projects in the NDP, the delivery programme for the project will be considered in terms of the overall funding envelope available to TII. TII will outline further funding arrangements for 2024 in the near future.

The proposed Cork Northern Distributor Multi-Modal Route has been developed as part of the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (CMATS). This aims to reduce the dependency on the private car within the Cork metropolitan area, and the Northern Distributor Route will cater for buses as well as providing segregated infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, reducing reliance on radial routes through Cork City Centre.

I understand that Cork City Council submitted a Strategic Assessment Report to the National Transport Authority (NTA) for approval last year and the NTA issued its approval in December. That permits the projects to move to the next stage of the lifecycle which involves route selection and detailed design.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I understand when you refer to Phase 1 of the Limerick Northern Distributor Road you are speaking about the Coonagh to Knockalisheen Distributor Road project. For clarity, the Coonagh to Knockalisheen Distributor Road was submitted and approved by An Bord Pleanála as a stand alone scheme; however, I am aware that the scheme is sometimes referred to locally as Phase 1 of the Limerick Northern Distributor Road.

From the outset, it is important to emphasise that 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.

As such, Limerick City and County Council is the contracting authority for the Coonagh to Knockalisheen Distributor Road project. As the Deputy is aware, progress on this road project was interrupted in 2022. Since then, works on the Ballygrennan Bridge, which is over the Galway-Ennis railway line, have substantially be completed and the Council has advised me that new contract documents have been prepared for construction of the remainder of the project.

The tender process is currently underway. Subject to a successful outcome to that procurement process and funding provision, it is expected the main construction for the remainder of the roads project will commence this year. This should allow the local community to have access to improved transport as well as better local access via the Distributor Road project.

Lastly to reiterate, the planning and implementation of the Coonagh to Knockalisheen Distributor Road project is the responsibility of Limerick City and County Council.