Road upgrade costs up by 200% in two years

POOR cost planning and delays in implementing a major road improvements programme by the National Roads Authority have been blamed for an almost 200% increase to €15.6 billion in the cost of the project over a two-year period.

A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General has attributed large-scale overruns on original budgets by the NRA to a combination of factors, including inflation.

The report by the CAG, John Purcell, was published yesterday following concerns raised by the Dáil Public Accounts Committee into the escalating cost of the programme. It includes the development of five major inter-city routes, the completion of the M50 motorway and Dublin Port Tunnel, as well as other road improvements.