Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 June 2023
5. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Transport for an update on the provision of funding for the progression of the N17 Collooney – Claremorris upgrade for the years 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028. [30137/23]
View answerI thank the office of the Ceann Comhairle for facilitating Deputy Harkin, who was unavailable. The Deputy is seeking from the Minister for Transport an update on the provision of funding for the progression of the N17 Collooney to Claremorris upgrade for the years 2024 to 2028, inclusive.
I thank Deputy Fitzmaurice. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015, and in line with the national development plan, NDP, the planning, design, improvement and upgrading of individual national roads is a matter for TII, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. TII ultimately delivers the national roads programme in line with Project Ireland 2040, the national planning framework and the NDP.
Approximately €491 million of Exchequer capital funds have been provided for national roads through TII to local authorities in 2023. These allocations were announced by the Department of Transport and TII on 16 February 2023. The N17 Knock to Collooney scheme has been identified in the national development plan. TII has been working to progress this scheme through planning, design and construction. I met Sligo County Council recently on a number of issues, as has the Minister for Transport, and this project was one of the topics discussed. I can confirm that €400,000 has been allocated for the N17 Knock to Collooney scheme in 2023. An emerging preferred transport corridor was released earlier this year, with a period of consultation following this. Finalisation of route selection following feedback and public consultation is under way by TII and is expected to be completed in the near future. Additional tasks, including traffic modelling and reporting, are also ongoing. As with all national roads projects in the NDP, the delivery programme for the project will be set out later in 2024. The scheme remains an important part of our national development plan and will be fully considered as part of the overall funding envelope available to TII in future years.
Deputy Harkin, along with other Deputies in the area, has been to the forefront of this. I was in County Sligo for the launch with great fanfare of Project Ireland 2040, as were other Deputies. The upgrade of the N17 road was part of it. Small amounts of money are all that are needed for the coming years. The N17 is a major road. We are talking about having a greenway from Sligo to Galway. Deputy Kenny spoke about the western rail corridor. There is no train. People must realise that to get from Donegal or Sligo for specialised cancer treatment, stenting or other heart surgery, it is necessary to go to Galway. There seems to be more of an emphasis on cycling from Sligo to Galway than on putting a road in place when there is no public transport available. By the way, travelling by bus requires a road. Promises have been made but this project seems to be in a logjam. The Minister seems to have kicked this to touch. The Minister of State should bear in mind that the EU has made it clear that the north west is one of the areas that needs more infrastructural funding to help it provide more employment.
The only decision made has been to allocate funding for 2023. No decision has been made for 2024. That decision will be made later in the year for every national road in the national development plan. I want to give clarity on that. Having met with the council, I know there is a poor safety record on the N17. The Deputy is also correct that this road is important for healthcare, regional connectivity and the local economy in the north west. That is why it is in the national development plan. As part of the Atlantic corridor, the project will assist in the delivery of a high quality network linking Cork, Limerick, Galway and Sligo. It provides enhanced regional accessibility and access to international markets via Ireland West Airport Knock. Through provision of improved infrastructure, this project will support commercial growth and investment in the area, including the Ireland West Airport Knock strategic development zone. The project has an important role in the national development plan as part of regional spatial strategies. That is clearly why it is set out in the plan.
I welcome the provision of funding. I ask the Minister of State to prioritise this project later in the year. For all of its sins, during the time of the boom, a lot of great work was done in road infrastructure around the country. A few roads in that region, including in Letterkenny and the N17 to Galway, need development. The statistics show roads in the region are not getting the same privileges as roads in parts of the country, such as the N4, N5 and M20. We are not against other roads being built. In light of the healthcare services required and the lack of infrastructure, for example, the absence of a rail corridor, people in the region have to travel by bus or car. There is no other choice to reach a centre of excellence. On behalf of the people of Sligo, and those from as far as Letterkenny and the surrounding areas who have to go to Galway for treatment, I ask the Minister of State to prioritise this project and make sure the funding is put in place to give people these people an equal opportunity.
There are a number of roads around Letterkenny listed in the national development plan, as part of the overall TEN-T network. This proposed project will remove through traffic from a number of towns and villages, which will have positive social and environmental impacts on local residents. Road users will benefit from improved journey time certainty. The project also provides the opportunity to introduce active transport facilities and encourage physical activity in the area. The Deputy mentioned the issue of healthcare, which was reflected to me when I met Sligo County Council. Significant strategic economic development of the north west is connected to progress on this road, as the Deputy set out. The poor safety record of the existing road needs to be considered in the context of overall roads investment. That is why the project has received funding for 2023. All national roads will be discussed later this year in the context of the envelope for 2024. I appreciate the Deputy's advocacy on this matter.
