Road Projects

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 February 2024

Thursday, 1 February 2024

Questions (11)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

11. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Transport if the completion of the N86 Tralee to Dingle Road upgrade is a priority of his; the fatality figures on this road; the reason the progress made on the first phases has not been continued at the same pace; if he understands the challenges caused by peninsular peripherality in this location and the need for modern road infrastructure to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4553/24]

Oral answers (17 contributions)

Deputy Brendan Griffin

This question is about the N86 Tralee to Dingle road. Is it a priority for the Minister? Will he provide the road fatality figures he has available for this road?

It was making very good progress a number of years ago when different phases of the road were progressing. In fact, when I was in the Minister's Department as Minister of State, I remember opening a significant phase between Ballynasare and Lispole. However, progress has been very slow, apart from a small section in Anascaul. I seek an update, please.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

Deputy Griffin and I have had a discussion on this in the past, so I am particularly attentive to it. I do not believe I have been given the actual statistics on fatalities or injuries the road. I will make sure that my officials deliver that to the Deputy later today. I apologise because that is not the answer with which I have been presented, which I only realised when we came in this morning. I want to refer to the improvements on the N86 between Tralee and Dingle, however.

As the Deputy said, it is particularly important given the importance of the peninsula. It is also in line with the national strategic outcome of strengthening rural economies and communities, as outlined in the national planning framework. I apologise; I have some details here on road fatality figures. I have been informed by TII that there have been no fatalities on this road in recent years. The primary focus of such upgrades, particularly with regard to secondary roads, is on measures to improve safety. Upgrades to the N86 are being delivered on a phased basis. A number of sections have already been completed with the most recent being the Ballinclare to Anascaul section, which was completed in 2023. TII allocated approximately €3.6 million to Kerry County Council last year to complete this section. Two further upgrades between Ballynasare and Anascaul and Doonore South and Ballygarret are being progressed with preparations to go to tender under way. This will include an upgraded carriageway, along with a combined cycleway-pedestrian facility. Upgrades of the remainder of the route will follow.

Enhanced and improved road connections are vitally important for communities in peripheral locations, as the Deputy rightly highlighted. Other aspects of improved connectivity of this include new and improved public transport services along those roads. I can confirm that in 2023, three new and enhanced bus services for the Dingle Peninsula were launched under the Connecting Ireland initiative. These will improve connections between Dingle and the communities of Castlemaine, Ballyferriter and Ballydavid. This is in addition to a number of new and enhanced Bus Éireann and Local Link services launched in County Kerry last year.

Deputy Brendan Griffin

I thank the Minister. I welcome the new bus services as well. They are excellent and it is major progress. With regard to the road, it is very important that we see progress now into 2024. That comes down to the funding being provided by the Minister's Department through TII. It is really crucial that the remaining sections would be allowed to progress and that the tenders would be allowed to progress as well. Whereas, thankfully, in recent years we have not had fatalities on the sections of road we are talking about, there have been fatalities on the entire Tralee to Dingle road. We also cannot discount the fatalities that have happened beyond recent years. Those people matter too and their families still miss them.

We have to look at the bigger picture here. The reason for doing this road in the first place was because of the geographic peripherality suffered by the Dingle Peninsula and the wider economic challenges faced as a result of that. This road is really important.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

Go raibh maith agat.

Deputy Brendan Griffin

It is coming up at people's front doors. Our local councillor, Séamus Cosaí Fitzgerald, is constantly raising it with me.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

I thank the Deputy. We are over time.

Deputy Brendan Griffin

Mr. Tommy Griffin is getting this on the doors at the moment.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

We are way over time, Deputy.

Deputy Brendan Griffin

It is really important that this is a priority for 2024.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

I agree with the Deputy. I know that road well. It is very important that if we start it and upgrade some sections that we complete it and do the entire project. My understanding is that we are committed and that the funding will be provided to do it on a phased basis. It would make no sense to improve safety on large sections and then people suddenly come to a very poor section of the road. That is the intention. As the Deputy said, that connectivity is vitally important when people are out at the end of a peninsula. I recognise that.

Deputy Brendan Griffin

I welcome that. I ask the Minister to please ensure that this road is on the list when the funding is announced. I am not sure when the funding is going to be announced by TII for the national and secondary roads. I presume it is usually around this time of year.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

It will be in the next week or two.

Deputy Brendan Griffin

In the next week or two. I ask the Minister because this is really important from a safety point of view and from a wider general economic point of view. It has been a terrible road over the years. Many people have campaigned for a long time. As I said, it is constantly coming up in my office. People talk to me about it when I meet them out in Dingle and along the way. Tommy Griffin is out campaigning at the moment, and he is getting it at most doors. It is very important to people, and they want to see it done. It will save lives but it will also enhance the prospect of those bus services the Minister already spoke about being successful and benefit people who are trying to commute in and out to work in Tralee, which is the major economic engine of the county. That is very important as well. It is a real priority. It is not a glamour project or anything like that. It is a really necessary piece of infrastructure that needs to be completed.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

Deputy Murnane O'Connor wanted to come in on this issue.

Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

I will come in for a second. I thank the Minister. I want to address, as previous speakers have done, the number of fatalities on our roads. I want to speak about road safety, proper infrastructure and signage. As the Minister is probably aware, in the early hours of this morning in County Carlow, three young people lost their lives, and one has gone to hospital. This is very serious, and we need to address it.

Deputy Eamon Ryan

We were heartbroken this morning when we heard that news from County Carlow. It is devastating for their families. We pray for them and for the individual in hospital. That is why we have to do everything we can to try to reduce those instances and why we will invest to improve safety on our roads. I absolutely echo and agree with the Deputy's comments.

Question No. 12 taken with Written Answers.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

We are running out of time, but an Teachta Durkan can have a chance at his question.