Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 9 Jul 1991

Vol. 410 No. 6

Written Answers. - Kildare Funding Application.

Emmet Stagg

Ceist:

111 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for the Environment if he has received a request from Kildare County Council for funding for (a) the construction of a new bridge over the River Liffey at Celbridge, County Kildare and (b) the widening of the existing bridge there; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for the Environment (Mr. Flynn)

As both the existing bridge in Celbridge and the site of the proposed new bridge are located on regional roads, responsibility for these projects rests with the local authority, Kildare County Council. The cost of such works normally falls to be financed from local resources supplemented by the discretionary grants provided by my Department for such roads.

The discretionary grants allocated to Kildare County Council in 1991 total £1,868,000 including a supplementary grant of £500,000 for improvement works which was allocated because of the special needs of the county. The determination of priorities in the expenditure of these grants is a matter for the local authority.

In February 1989 proposals were received in my Department from Kildare County Council for the construction of a relief road at Celbridge. The proposed scheme would cost an estimated £1.3 million and would include a new crossing of the River Liffey. In March 1989, my Department wrote to the local authority drawing attention to the normal method of financing such works and informing them that there were no funds available from which a special grant could be provided.

During the eighties, the strengthening and widening of the existing bridge was the subject of general submissions by the county council to my Department and a strengthening scheme was undertaken in the mid eighties. No recent proposals have been received from the council on this matter.