The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads, such as the Carrigaline Western Relief Road, in its area, is a statutory function of each road authority in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act, 1993. Works on such roads are a matter for the relevant local authority to be funded from its own resources supplemented by State road grants.
My Department did give a commitment in 2010 to contribute a maximum of €3.7 million of the estimated land acquisition costs of €7.4 million or 50% of the cost whichever is the lesser and this is being honoured.
Due to the need to focus the limited funding available on the repair and strengthening of the road network, it has been necessary to curtail the Strategic Roads Grants Scheme for the moment and there is no commitment in place to provide grant funding towards the cost of construction.
It is important to reiterate that the role of Exchequer grants for regional and local roads is to supplement the resources of Councils. It is, therefore, open to the Council to fund this project from its own resources.
