Ross needs to focus on the N4 not the Metro
HE’S been Transport Minister f or the past year and has yet to make a visit to Sligo to see at f i rst hand what’s needed here. Granted, Shane Ross accepted delegations to his ministerial office last week where the case for the Western Distributor road to link up with Finisklin was put but his record so far suggests the West of Ireland is way down his list of priorities.
To be frank, delegations are easy to accept and be nice to and for all the right things to be said but the evidence on the ground is that Sligo’s major infrastructural projects are either progressing at a snail’s pace or have been completely stalled such as the N17 and N16.
It’s frustrating to say the least that the N4 is moving at the pace it is. It’s upgrade should have been completed years ago.
One year into a new Government which is likely to last just three years and it’s clear it’s not a priority with this Fine Gael cabinet with the Transport Minister more interested in other issues such as the re-opening of Stepaside Garda Station in his own constituency, bus corridors for Dublin, light rail projects for the Capital and the appointment of judges and top Gardaí by the Government.
Those are the issues it seems to an outsider like me that preoccupies this Minister’s attention.
Also, of course, drink driving, for which I fully endorse his moves to put tougher legislation in place.
I said it when he was appointed that a Dublin-based Transport Minister would be difficult to get the attention of in the regions which are crying out for investment.
What prompted me to write about Minister Ross this week was news that the €600m Gort to Tuam motorway is ahead of schedule and should open in November. The PPP Scheme forms part of the Atlantic corridor outlined under Transport 21 which Sligo is supposed to be part of but is certainly being left out in the cold. And, don’t take my word for it.
CIF Regional Director, Justin Molloy said this week that the infrastructure deficit has the potential to undermine the economic recovery. Significantly more investment in infrastructure is required he stressed.
“Recently the Government announced that they will not increase investment until 2019. This essentially will see investment in regional infrastructure stall as many of our civil engineering members are reporting that the pipeline of projects will dry up after the completion of the Gort/Tuam motorway in the coming months.
“Minimal investment in 2017 to prepare the ground for infrastructure projects will accelerate the delivery of projects in the regions up to 2019 and beyond. Stalling now, will set this delivery back to after 2020.
“By that time, many regions will have fallen far behind. Our concern is that most political discussions centre on major projects, such as Metro, that have little benefit to anywhere outside the capital.”
I couldn’t put it better myself. We have a Dublin-based Transport Minister who needs to find where the N4 is and get down to Sligo and deliver and not just saying nice things to delegates who have to travel up to meet him.