Beware bumps in roads!
Projects get funding boost – but uncertainty remains
THREE ‘controversial’ road projects have received fresh injections of funds from the Department of Transport.
As part of the annual review of road projects by the Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and the Department of Transport three projects have been chosen to be progressed.
They are the N4 Mullingar to Longford project, the N25 Castlemartyr and Killeagh project and the N17 Knock to Collooney.
The N25 project has proven to be one of the most controversial sections of road in the lifetime of this Government, with first-time TD James O’Connor threatening to resign from the Fianna Fáil after the project was not initially included in the National Development Plan (NDP).
However, Mr O’Connor last week took to social media to confirm that he had succeeded in getting the project signed off on by the Government.
He said: ‘A design consultant will be appointed to design a new road connecting Midleton and Youghal. This will help to address congestion, it’s going to improve road safety on what is one of the most dangerous sections of road in the country. I’m delighted that we have received confirmation that the scheme will be advanced.’
A source said the three most ‘controversial’ projects had been signed off to be given additional funding, but accepted that some wouldn’t get the funding needed to continue to be developed.
They also said that the TII would confirm in the coming weeks if other sections of road across the country would be progressed using EU funding.
The TII will publish a full list of roads that will receive fresh funding in the coming weeks.
A separate source said that other projects would continue to be stalled adding: ‘The likes of the Cork Limerick motorway is 18 months behind, for example.’
There remains some confusion as to whether projects such as the N72 in Mallow will go forward.
Fine Gael’s Michael Carrigy, from Longford, welcomed the news that the N4 project from Mulligar to Longford would go ahead.
He said: ‘From a balanced regional development point of view and from a safety point of view this is welcome.
‘It gives access to the midlands and north west. It has over 500 access points in that 50k section, it is very dangerous there.
‘We feel that for the future the midlands and north west is entitled to accessibility to our capital, to our main airport, our ports. And at the moment, we are the only ones without that.’
Roads funding has proven to be one of the most controversial aspects of this government, with Eamon Ryan and the Greens ideologically opposed to building more roads at the expense of funding public transport projects.
He secured a 2:1 ratio for capital spending in favour of public transport versus roads. Other sources
‘It gives access to the midlands’
confirmed the N17 Knock to Collooney project would go ahead.
The move marks a U-turn from Mr Ryan who last year said that there would be no funding available for the N17 Knock to Collooney road project for ‘many years’.
The comments sparked a backlash from the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael backbenches.