Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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109. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his Department has given any commitment to construct the Thurles inner relief road. [5058/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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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 road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the local authority.

Any new road projects that seek State funding are assessed by the Department on a case-by-case basis. All projects proposed by local authorities for consideration must comply with the requirements of the Infrastructure Guidelines (formerly the Public Spending Code) and the Department's Transport Appraisal Framework. 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.

€75,000 was allocated to the Thurles Inner Relief Road scheme in 2024 to progress the detailed design of the scheme. Implementation of the scheme is the responsibility of Tipperary County Council.

Grant allocations for 2025 will be notified to local authorities very shortly.