Road Improvement Schemes

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 31 January 2017

Tuesday, 31 January 2017

Questions (715)

Bobby Aylward

Question:

715. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will allocate funding to Kilkenny County Council under the specific improvement grant scheme or the non-national strategic improvement grant scheme for the R704 Listerlin road widening scheme (details supplied); his views on the fact that the project cannot be funded via the low cost safety improvement grant scheme due to the estimated cost of works of €80,000 which would represent 35% of the annual low cost safety scheme allocation and is therefore considered too high to come under same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4072/17]

Written answers

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport

As you know the improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads, such as the R704 Listern road widening scheme, is the statutory responsibility of Kilkenny County Council, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from the Council's own resources supplemented by State road grants.

  Applications for funding under the low cost safety improvment scheme in 2017 were invited in September 2016. Councils were made aware of the conditions in relation to applications for funding and were advised that preference would be given to proposals in the cost range €2,000 to €30,000 and that proposals in higher cost ranges, (i.e. €30,000 to €250,000) may be considered if the benefit to cost ratio is promising.  Kilkenny applied for funding for 10 schemes to the sum of €287,000.  The Council were notified of approval of funding for 7 of these projects to the sum of €249,000 on the 24th January. The R704 Listerlin road widening scheme however, was not among the applications submitted for funding to the Department. It is up to individual local authorities to submit applications in order of priority.

It is open to Councils to fund road improvement projects from their own resources.  The purpose of Exchequer funding is to supplement the own resources of local authorities.