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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 5 Dec 1974

Vol. 276 No. 7

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Naas By-Pass.

8.

asked the Minister for Local Government when the building of the Naas by-pass road, County Kildare, will commence.

9.

asked the Minister for Local Government when it is proposed to complete the by-pass road at Naas, County Kildare.

With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 9 together.

I am not in a position to indicate when work will be put in hands. The preliminary proposals submitted by Kildare County Council for the construction of a new road to motorway standards by-passing Naas involve complex technical and financial issues. A communication will issue to the council when these issues have been considered in detail.

Can the Minister say if he has received any recent proposals from Kildare County Council regarding the by-passing of Naas? We appreciate that the cost involved in this project will be high and that the demands on the Minister's resources in respect of road construction are many. However, in view of the appalling congestion in Naas town, can the Minister give any indication of when he may be in a position to sanction the starting of the building of this by-pass?

Is the Minister aware of how the people of Kildare regard this problem? The fact that the only two Deputies on the benches behind the Minister are from Kildare should convince him of the concern there is among the people in this matter. Is the Minister not aware that Naas town is the corridor through which passes the heaviest traffic in Ireland and that the town is simply choked at the moment by traffic? It is the wish of the people that there would not be a day's delay in tackling this problem.

Having used that road for many years I am aware that congestion has been becoming worse during the past ten or 15 years.

We can rest assured that the announcement of the Minister for Finance last night will solve that problem.

In view of the serious traffic problem in Naas would the Minister use his good offices to expedite a decision as to whether the by-pass to be constructed will be a dual carriageway or a motorway? This is of vital importance.

That is a very complex matter. The proposal is for the construction of a relief road, 4½ miles long and to motorway standard, linking the Dublin-Naas dual carriageway with the Naas-Newbridge road. While the new facilities would allow traffic using the national primary road, Dublin-Portlaoise, to by-pass the town it would not relieve the problem of through traffic to the Dublin-Waterford national primary road. In other words, while the new motorway would do half the job the other half would be left undone.

It would do four-fifths of the job.

There are many matters involved. The cost of the council's proposal was estimated at £2.6 million but this is considered to be a very conservative estimate and that the actual cost of the 4½ mile motorway will be considerably higher. I agree that the decision as to whether the by-pass is to be of motorway standard must be taken but if it is to be motorway standard, there would have to be a public inquiry. The Deputies can be assured that it is not my fault that this decision has been delayed. It is purely a technical matter that there are so many complex questions involved but I will endeavour to have a decision reached as soon as possible.

Every day I am asked by people when the by-pass is to be constructed. Bearing in mind that the cost involved would be less than one month's extra taxation now to be collected on petrol, would the Minister not be able to make a decision very soon?

If Deputy Fitzgerald is right, there will be no need for a by-pass.

I was coming to that.

Would Deputies please allow some progress to be made?

Would the Minister not agree that in the light of recent events an entirely new survey would be required in matters of the nature we are discussing?

The question referred specifically to the Naas road.

In view of what Deputy Fitzgerald has said and if the other Deputies are agreeable, perhaps we could defer the whole question.

I am calling Question No. 10.

May I ask a final supplementary, please?

The Chair has given a lot of latitude to Deputies on this question but Deputies are being grossly unfair to the Chair.

Would the Minister agree to having the work started on a dual carriageway with a view to developing it into a motorway at a later stage?

I have called Question No. 10.

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