Seanad Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 9 Jun 1993

Vol. 136 No. 11

Adjournment Matters. - National Roads Network.

Mr. Fahey

I thank you, a Chathaoirligh, for allowing me to raise this important and urgent issue and I also thank the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Energy and Communications, Deputy N. Treacy, for coming to the House. I apologise for bringing him here at this late hour.

The condition of the national primary route, N18, at Ardrahan is of concern to those living in the village and those passing through it. Major reconstruction was undertaken on this road in 1992 and was partially completed by the end of the year. For the past six months, the villagers have awaited the completion of this work and there is grave concern there because no money has been allocated in this year's roads Estimate to finish the project. I ask the Minister of State to reconsider the allocation of money during this year, hopefully from unspent moneys in other areas.

Approximately £700,000 was spent on the road passing through this pleasant village in South Galway which has one of the more attractive market squares but because money ran out at the end of 1992, the job remains unfinished. It is now in an unfinished condition which is both dangerous and unattractive in what is an attractive village. It is dangerous because the road surface is temporary and walls and other aspects of the work have been left unfinished. A local publican has not been able to get into one of his main stores, where it opens on to the national primary route, for the past six months due to the unfinished nature of the work.

Work which has been carried out is the cause of concern among business people in the village. For example, a partially constructed footpath is causing chaos for business people because it restricts parking, say, in front of the local post office. Last Friday I witnessed chaos among a number of pensioners visiting the post office because cars were parked along the carriageway of the national primary route.

I ask the Minister to request Galway County Council to re-examine the construction of this footpath. Its planning was ill-advised. Part of the footpath has been allocated as a parking space for buses. This will undoubtedly cause accidents because the parking for the bus is directly opposite the junction which is being constructed. It reduces visibility for traffic exiting onto the national primary route, particularly with regard to traffic coming from Gort, County Galway.

I ask Galway County Council to re-examine the design of the work carried out to date and to leave the carriageway unchanged. They have destroyed the market square of Ardrahan, which was one of the most attractive in County Galway, if not in the country. The job has been left undone and, even when it is finished, the present design will, in my view, cause traffic accidents in the future. I ask the Minister to tell us how much money will be spent in 1993 and to give an estimate of the sum required to complete this work.

I am aware that money has been allocated and that this job has not been included. However, it is fair to assume that allocations made to County Galway may not be spent. I want to emphasise the urgency and importance of completing this work. In its present condition, the village has been destroyed. Walls and road surface are unfinished and could be the cause of accidents in bad weather. It is unusual for a job on a national primary route to be abandoned for six months. I hope the Minister will indicate whether money will be provided to complete this work in order to make this area safer and to enable the village of Ardrahan, County Galway, to return to its previous splendour.

Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Energy and Communications (Mr. N. Treacy)

Cé go bhfuil sé déanach, is cúis áthais dom i gcónaí teacht anseo chun freagra a thabhairt ar an rún tábhachtach seo ón Seanadóir Fahey.

I thank Senator Fahey for raising the issue on investment in our network of national roads and, in particular, the position in relation to the national primary route, the N18 with particular reference to the historic village of Ardrahan, County Galway.

The House will be aware, the road network is the dominant mode of internal transport accounting for over 90 per cent of both passenger and goods traffic. National primary roads, account for less than 6 per cent of total road mileage but carry over one-quarter of all road traffic. Their importance to the national economy is well illustrated by two additional statistics; two-thirds of traffic on our national primary routes is work related and typically one-sixth of the traffic is comprised of heavy commercial vehicles.

The reasons for the high level of dependence on the road system in Ireland are well known — a low density and widely dispersed population and a relatively low level of urbanisation. The Government is committed to creating the kind of environment which will allow Irish industry to compete and prosper under Single Market conditions.

The upgrading of our transport system is fundamental to this objective. Such a strategy has been endorsed by the Industrial Policy Review Group — Culliton — which regarded improved access and internal transport as crucial elements of industrial policy aimed at increasing employment and wealth creation. The group noted that the condition of the road network had been a significant constraint in this regard for many years.

We are now making good progress in addressing the needs as identified in a review carried out by the Department of the Environment in 1987-88. The review estimated investment requirements of over £3 billion for national roads. The operational programme on peripherality, which covers the period 1989-93, is the main platform for policy and investment in the roads area. The programme set a target of 12 to 15 years to complete the development of the national primary network.

By the end of 1993, expenditure on this network over the five year period will total some £670 million. We are confident that the National Development Plan, 1994-99, will again see substantial investment in this area and will bring significant further progress on addressing identified needs.

The N18 serves an important function in linking the cities of Galway and Limerick, and facilitates access to both Shannon and Galway airports. In addition to catering for commercial traffic, the route also serves tourists arriving at Shannon and travelling on to County Kerry and west Cork, or northwards to Connemara, County Galway. The stretch of road referred to, carries circa 1.25 million tourists each year.

Since 1991 the Department of the Environment has provided road grants totalling £1.15 million to Galway County Council for improvement works on the N18, while further allocations of £150,000 have been made to the county council again this year. The largest element of these grants, some £850,000, has been paid for work at Ardrahan, County Galway, involving the reconstruction and realignment of approximately 1.4 km of roadway so as to remove dangerous bends on the approach to the village. Payments made to date exceeded the initial estimated cost of the work by some £70,000.

I understand that the county council now estimates that a further provision of £75,000 is required to complete the project, mainly in respect of sections of footpaths and fencing. This extra request from the council is being examined in the Department of the Environment at present.

As the funds available to that Department for roads in the current year have been fully allocated, our Government colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Deputy Michael Smith, is not in a position to provide further funding at this time. However, when the merits of the council's request are established, he will no doubt endeavour to meet whatever additional funding may be warranted at the earliest opportunity.

Substantial investment on improvement works to that section of the N18 which passes through County Clare and south of the area to which the Senator referred, is also taking place. Grants totalling £4.8 million have been allocated this year. The main areas of expenditure concern the Bunratty bypass, Setrights Cross, the Ennis bypass and pavement improvement between Limerick city and Shannon.

Galway County Council has benefited proportionately from the substantial overall increase in road grants allocated this year. The total 1993 provision of £340 million is a record. In Galway's case, the 1993 allocation for national roads at £4.423 million represents an increase of over 41 per cent on the position in 1992. I am sure Senator Fahey will agree that this is a most welcome increase and will benefit both locals and tourists alike in our fair county of Galway.

The Seanad adjourned at 11.50 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 10 June 1993.