Roads going nowhere: stark warning ov er progress on transport

MORE than half of all road projects announced in the National Development Plan have yet to secure planning permission, raising concerns the massive programme could be delayed.

Transport bosses have given a stark warning to Government about the “small level” of projects ready to proceed as a result of funding cutbacks over recent years.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) chairman Cormac O’Rourke said that unless planning of major schemes started soon, it might not be able to avail of the €6.6bn allocated under the development plan.

Staff cutbacks at TII over recent years slashed the funding available for advance planning, he said, adding that cost-cutting had “probably gone too far”.

As a result, he told TDs, the TII board was “very concerned” about the low number of schemes at an advanced stage of design.

He told the Dáil Transport Committee: “A word of caution in relation to delivery of future infrastructure is appropriate.

“The board of TII is very concerned at the small number of major schemes that it has ready to go for planning or construction. Funding has not been provided during the recession to develop such schemes.

“The cost of planning permission is a small fraction of the cost of the project. But it provides optionality value.

“Once planning permission is in place for a significant number of projects, they can be scheduled as and when money

becomes available. Without planning in place, we and others may not be in a position to take up available funding.”

The National Development Plan names 42 road projects due for delivery between 2018 and 2027.

One is in Northern Ireland, the A5, but will be part-funded by the Government here. Of the remaining 41, 29 are either subject to ‘feasibility’ studies – meaning they have yet to be confirmed, have yet to enter the planning process, or are currently in the planning system. The remaining 12 have planning or are under construction.

Mr O’Rourke said it took between eight and 13 years to deliver a road scheme “from start to finish”, assuming there were no legal or planning challenges which could lead to delays. “Unfortunately, these challenges happen all too often in Ireland,” he said.

This is not the first time that road bosses have warned about the lack of advance planning.

In 2015, the National Roads Authority, which pre-dated TII, raised concerns about the lack of forward planning, saying the political system “tends to switch investment on and off ”.

Last year, TII chief executive Michael Nolan said a “modest pipeline” of projects should be prepared to prevent delays delivering schemes when funding was available.

He warned “failure to prepare for future needs” would affect safety, congestion and economic activity.

Transport sources said there were genuine concerns about the ability to deliver the ambitious roads programme, both across the public and private sector, but also in terms of deciding planning applications.

“We haven’t spent a penny in terms of building roads at scale in the last six or seven years, now, it’s coming home to roost,” one said.

“People think if you write a cheque the roads will come. The system is going to be under stress, both in the public and private sectors and the bureaucratic process needed to deliver these projects. There’s a lot of hurdles to be jumped over.”

Mr O’Rourke also said that TII had identified 150 locations across the network in need of safety upgrades. Some 42 had been completed, with another 20 due to be addressed by 2020. The cost of the projects ranged from €5m to €18m each, and each project took between three and five years to implement.

In all, some €6.6bn is allocated for national roads in the plan. The biggest project is the M20 Cork to Limerick road, costed at €900m. TII was allocated €1m last year to begin planning, which is expected to ramp-up this year, but it could be 2022 before permission is secured. The second biggest project is the Galway ring road, costed at between €550m and €600m. Planning permission is expected to be sought this year.

The Department of Transport said potential schemes were identified and included in the National Development Plan so there would be a “pipeline of projects” available. This meant that if one scheme did not proceed, it could be replaced.

‘People think if you write a cheque the roads will come. There’s a lot of hurdles to be jumped over’