€2bn transport spend to include 367km of roads

TRANSPORT Minister Martin Cullen promised 367km of new roads and improvements in public transport as he announced a 7% increase in transport spending for next year.

Outlining plans for next year’s €2.119 billion transport budget, Mr Cullen also promised extra quality bus corridors and a new train station in Dublin’s docklands. The total amount of money spent on the roads programmes is to increase by 7% to €1.319bn.

Mr Cullen said the completion of the five major intercity routes to motorway or dual carriageway standard, the completion of the Dublin Port Tunnel, and the M50 upgrade will take priority. In addition, road programmes due to start next year include the link road from Dundalk to the Border, the N3 Clonee bypass, the N4 Edgeworthstown bypass and the N25 Waterford city bypass.

“Today’s Estimates are an important staging post in the delivery of a modern transport system. I look forward to further structural progress on Budget day,” said Mr Cullen.

Although she welcomed the new Dublin rail station, Labour transport spokesperson Róisin Shortall queried the continued imbalance between spending on roads and public transport.

“Once again, roads are favoured by a factor of about two-to-one, despite the widespread acknowledgement of the need for greatly-improved public transport infrastructure,” she said.

Fine Gael transport spokesperson Olivia Mitchell said the extra road funding was a smokescreen to cover the fact that most other of the projects have already been announced in previous Budgets. “The Estimates show the Government will miss its own target for investment in transport infrastructure,” she said.