Government outlines €1bn road plan
The allocation of €1.115bn for the National Roads Programme is being used to fund projects under Transport 21 and the National Development Plan. Among the projects pencilled in for completion this year include the final section of the M7/M8 motorway from Portlaoise to Cullahill/Castletown, meaning motorway all the way from Dublin to Cork.
Other roads to be completed include the N7 Nenagh to Limerick Road and the N7 Limerick Tunnel, plus another stretch of the N7 from Castletown to Nenagh. The M50 around Dublin will undergo upgrade scheme phase two, while the N52 Kells bypass and the N3 Kells to Carnaross (M3) should ease traffic for commuters around parts of Dublin.
Seven projects are also moving towards the compulsory purchase order stage in 2010, including the M20 from Cork to Limerick, the N21 Adare bypass and the N25 from Carrigtwohill to Midleton.
Road safety measures will receive a €15m allocation.
Announcing the funding yesterday, Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey said the expansion and development of the roads networks had benefited everyone in the state. Citing projects which he said had already opened ahead of schedule, including the N6 Galway to Ballinasloe Road and the N25 Waterford city bypass, the minister said: “It has been a major factor in underpinning the sustained programme of national economic recovery. It is a proud boast that road building projects are efficient, on budget, on time and often ahead of their completion dates.
“The motorways have also helped reduce the catastrophic carnage on the roads, an aim which the Government must pursue relentlessly. Today’s investment builds on the massive roads investment by this Government over a decade and more.”
