Vol. 523 No. 4
150 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the plans which his Department has to upgrade the N4 national primary route between Mullingar and Sligo to that of a motorway; the reason this proposal was not included in the national development plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21150/00]
The National Development Plan 2000-2006, together with the community support framework and the economic and social infrastructure operational programme, form the strategic policy context for the improvement of the national road infrastructure over the next seven years. It is a matter for the National Roads Authority – NRA – within this framework to promote the detailed programming of the work required by the plan and to manage, in co-operation with local authorities and the private sector in the context of public private partnerships, the planning, design and implementation of individual road development projects. With the exception of specified major inter-urban routes to be developed to motorway-high quality dual carriageway standard, the road improvement works, including type of road, to be undertaken under the NDP will be a matter for the NRA and local authorities concerned, having regard to current and projected traffic volumes.
The NDP provides for major improvements to be made to the N4 between Mullingar and Sligo. The need for the development of new routes to augment those mentioned in the plan, including the N4, will be evaluated over the period to 2006. Where the need for a new route is established, funding will be provided for the advance planning and design of the route in the plan period, with a view to bringing the project to construction within an appropriate time frame. There is no proposal at this stage to amend the provisions of the NDP.
