Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 20 Feb 1991

Vol. 405 No. 4

Written Answers. - Dublin Road Network.

Ivan Yates

Question:

108 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for the Environment if he will outline the level of investment from 1985 to date and the projected future investment on the national primary route network through Dublin; the up-to-date position in terms of expenditure, past, present, and future on the Dublin ring road; and when it is expected to complete same.

Minister for the Environment (Mr. Flynn)

During the period 1985 to 1990, road grants totalling £135.3 million have been paid by my Department to local authorities in the Dublin area for improvement works to the network of national primary routes, including £46.2 million in respect of the Dublin ring road. A further £2.3 million was paid in respect of the Dublin ring road prior to 1985.

The major improvement projects on national primary roads in the Dublin area, including the Dublin ring road, which are scheduled to be commenced and/or completed in the period to 1993 are identified in the operational programme on peripherality, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas Library. Annex 3 to the programme sets out details of these projects, including estimates of cost and the construction period for each project. Road grant payments on these projects to the end of 1990, apart from the Western Parkway section of the Dublin ring road which has been completed, are as follows:

		£m
N1	Balbriggan By-Pass	0.142
	Southern Cross Route	4.687
	Northern Cross Route	1.538
	Dublin Port Access Route	0.258
N2	North Road Finglas	0.119
N3	Navan Road	18.536
N4	St. John's Bridge and Con Colbert Road	6.613
N11	Shankill/Bray By-Pass	9.897

Apart from these major projects, some additional investment is likely on minor improvement works in national primary roads in the area over the coming years. The level of expenditure involved will be determined annually in the context of the road grant allocations for each year.

The question of further major improvements to the network of national primary roads in Dublin in the period after 1993 will be considered when overall road plans for that period are being developed having regard to,inter alia, the findings of the Dublin Transportation Study, phase 1 of which is now underway.