The Sligo Champion

Taoiseach says N4 is priority yet still no funding timeframe

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AN Taoiseach Enda Kenny has insisted the N4 upgrade from Castlebald­win to Collooney remains a “priority”, despite the Government still not giving any timeframe for funding.

The ¤ 100 million project was raised at last Friday’s Fine Gael Brexit meeting in Sligo ( Full report on pages 4- 5).

Enda Kenny told members of the public that the N4 will retain it’s priority status after his Government’s Mid- Term Review of the Capital Plan in June.

He also acknowledg­ed the Government has come under increasing pressure about the N4 to the North West.

The reassuranc­es of An Taoiseach come after Director of Services Tom Kilfeather told this months’ Council meeting that “the only barrier is the allocation of funding.”

Councillor Tom MacSharry raised the issue at the meeting.

He was told that eight houses are yet to be demolished, archaeolog­ical works will be finished by Q3 of this year and negotiatio­ns are continuing with landowners on Land Purchase Agreements. To date, 101 out of 135 agreements have been reached.

Cllr MacSharry was told by senior Council engineer Emer Concannon that the Council will be in a position to appoint a Contractor at the end of 2017. Signficant­ly however, Sligo County Council has not yet been given a timeframe for the receipt of funding for the Main Constructi­on Contract.

Cllr MacSharry said it was “encouragin­g” that the Council were “working to capacity” on the N4 scheme.

 ?? Pic: Philip McCaffrey. ?? A bend along the lethal stretch of the N4 at Ardloy, near Castlebald­win.
Pic: Philip McCaffrey. A bend along the lethal stretch of the N4 at Ardloy, near Castlebald­win.

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