The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads 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 in certain circumstances.
The 2nd phase of the Limerick Northern Relief Road project was proposed by the local authority concerned, Clare County Council, in conjunction with Limerick City and County Council. While this project is unlikely to progress any further than route selection for some time, my understanding is that the preparatory work undertaken by the Council was designed to plan for the future by identifying a preferred route for a Northern Relief Road.
The planning work undertaken before the selection of a preferred route, including the analysis of environmental constraints, was a matter for the Council and my Department, while it provided funding towards the costs involved, did not have a role in the route selection process. Likewise it is a matter for the elected members to make decisions in relation to the inclusion of the preferred route in the County Development Plan.
