Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 October 2019
535. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if funding is available for the upgrading of roads specifically located along the Wild Atlantic Way; if he will consider upgrading a road (details supplied) in County Donegal due to its significant location along the Wild Atlantic Way in an effort to further develop tourism in the area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39832/19]
View answerThe improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of the relevant local authority 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. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is a matter for the Council. There are no grants under the Regional and Local Roads Grant Programme specifically for roads along the Wild Atlantic Way.
Any road upgrade projects proposed by local authorities for consideration under the Specific or Strategic Grant Programme are assessed by the Department on a case-by-case basis. All projects put forward by local authorities for consideration must comply with the requirements of the Public Spending Code (PSC) and the Department's Capital Appraisal Framework (CAF) and given the limited funding available for road improvement projects Local Authorities need to prioritise schemes with these requirements in mind.
