Congestion fears as Kerry roads budget slashed

HOPES of easing traffic congestion in Kerry, especially during the tourist season, have been dealt a blow, as the county will have even less money to spend on roads this year.

Kerry County Council has been informed of a €4.5 million reduction in roads funding because of a drop in the National Roads Authority (NRA) allocation.

The decrease in government funding for the national primary network has given rise to warnings of cutbacks in work crews and road maintenance.

Senior roads engineer Paul Stack told the council the sum of over €48.6m available for road works this year was a reduction of €4.5m.

This was in a county where, for the first time in several years, there was no major capital project under construction to improve the road network.

Mr Stack said the reduction in maintenance of national primary network of over €127,000 was a very disturbing trend and would have a major bearing on the network, despite improvements in recent years.

Funding across the board for lighting as well as paving on the national network had also seen a drop.

Funding for non-national roads had increased, but the increases were not adequate for Kerry’s road maintenance needs. Gaeltacht grants and other such schemes for roads were yet to be announced, he said.

“The decrease in monies available for national road maintenance will not only affect our ability to maintain this network, but will also impinge on our requirement to pay our permanent outdoor work forces,” Mr Stack stated.

He also said repairs to bridges, four of which would have to be extensively repaired this year, would be a drain on resources.

Fine Gael councillor Bobby O’Connell said it was an “absolute scandal” that work on the Castleisland bypass was not going ahead this year.

“The first impression visitors to Kerry often get is of traffic backed up for miles around Castleisland. And it looks as if that situation is going to continue,” Mr O’Connell said.