Vol. 402 No. 6
40 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment the current position with regard to the N4 by-pass; when he expects work to commence on this project; if sufficient finance is available to facilitate the commencement of the work in 1991; when he expects the project to be completed; whether all the necessary preliminaries have been completed at this stage; when he expects site excavations to commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I presume the Deputy is referring to the Kilcock, Maynooth and Leixlip by-pass motorway scheme. In this case, the necessary public inquiry has been held and, in June 1988, I approved Kildare County Council's proposals for this scheme.
Work on this project will be carried out mainly by way of two contracts. Contract One covers work from approximately 3 km. west of Kilcock to the Maynooth/Celbridge Road. Contract Two is for the remaining section of the road, from the Maynooth/Celbridge Road to the Lucan by-pass.
Draft contract documents for Contract One have been received in my Department and a decision in this matter will be issued shortly. It is expected that work on this contract will commence during 1991 following completion of the tendering procedure. I understand that the local authority expect to be in a position to forward contract documents relating to contract Two to the Department for approval around the middle of 1991. It is intended that both contracts should be completed three years from the commencement of work on Contract One.
