Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 March 2023
79. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide an update from his Department on the discussions that have taken place with Meath County Council in respect of progressing the proposed Julianstown bypass, which aims to deal with the relentless congestion experienced in the village; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10438/23]
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 Councils’ own resources supplemented by State road grants, where applicable. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is a matter for the Council.
The major cuts to funding for regional and local roads during the post 2008 recession resulted in the build-up of a substantial backlog of works across the country. The estimated cost of the backlog is in excess of €5 billion. Because of the pressures on the regional and local road network, approximately 90% of available Exchequer grant assistance to local authorities for regional and local roads is being directed to maintenance and renewal works rather than for new roads or for road realignments.
Any road improvement projects proposed by local authorities for consideration under the 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 and my Department's Capital Appraisal Framework.
The revised Public Spending Code requires a Strategic Assessment Report (SAR) for all projects with an estimated expenditure of €10 million or more. The SAR is now a key deliverable at the first decision stage in the project appraisal process. In this context Meath County Council is liaising with the Department concerning the preparation of a SAR.
Further, I am aware that Meath County Council received planning approval in November 2021 for a traffic calming scheme for the village and that the Council proposes to implement the scheme over a number of phases, subject to available resources.
