TDs urged to demand funding for link road
PUBLIC representatives need to demand funding for a new link road between the N4 at Caltragh and Finisklin Business Park in order to stop people leaving Sligo “in their droves” to look for jobs elsewhere.
That’s according to Sligo County Councillor Seamus Kilgannon who was responding to a Council update on the Phase 2 of the Western Distributor Road ( WDR).
The link road will allow the IDA to develop a new Business Park on their lands at Oakfield. It will then link both that and the existing IDA Business Park at Finisklin to the N4 dual carriageway to Dublin.
It will comprise of 3kms of two- lane Urban Distributor Road, two sets of traffic lights, a roundabout and a railway overbridge at Maugheraboy.
Senior Engineer with the Council, Tom Brennan, told a Special Policy Committee meeting on Planning, Community and Economic Development last week that the Council’s plan was to finalise the design and have tender documents ready to issue by next Spring.
Cllr Rosaleen O’Grady queried where the overbridge would be exactly. Mr Brennan said it would be “cross- country, in the middle of open countryside.”
Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council Cllr Hubert Keaney described the WDR as a “vital piece of infrastructure for the town’s development.”
“It has to be put up to all the public representatives to either put up or shut up - this has to be delivered for regional development,” he said.
“Let’s not take any more bluff or talk about regional development from TDs or Senators. This is a project ready to go. It has to be delivered. The IDA have money to develop the site. For far too long we’ve gotten projects 10/ 15 years too late. I don’t want to be here in two or three years time still talking about it,” he said.
Cllr Marie Casserly said she hadn’t stopped telling Transport Minister Shane Ross about the project and she would continue to remind him of this weekly.
Cllr Sean MacManus said the key to the project’s success was getting a commitment of funding from Minister Ross.
“I welcome what Cllr Casserly says and Cllr Keaney - his party is in Government,” he told the meeting.
Cllr Kilgannon welcomed the update and asked Mr Brennan how confident he was that the funding would be made available to allow construction start next year.
Mr Brennan said “any pressure at Ministerial level would be advantageous. It’s not until we actually sign the contract that we’re sure it’s going to be built and that’s not until the middle of next year at the earliest.”
Cllr Kilgannon said the Council had to “demand” a meeting with the Minister. “People are leaving this county in their droves because we are not providing the facilities for jobs. We should be marching to ensure funding is here for this,” he said.