The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is a statutory function of each road authority in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. The carrying out of works on these roads is a matter for the relevant local authority to be funded from its own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of projects to be funded is also a matter for the local authority.
On 22nd February, I announced the 2010 regional and local road grant allocations. A total of €411.409 million is being provided to local authorities this year for the maintenance and improvement of regional and local roads. In July this year, local authorities were invited to submit applications for funding in 2011 under the Specific Improvement Grants Scheme. It is open to Dublin City Council to prioritise this project and to include it among its applications when they are submitted in due course.
All applications received for funding under the scheme will be considered, having regard to compliance with eligibility criteria, the need to prioritise projects, competing demands from other local authorities and the funds available for the scheme in 2011. The 2011 regional and local road grant allocations will be announced early next year. To date no funding has been sought from my Department for this project either in 2010 or in previous years. Alternatively, Dublin City Council may fund this project from its own resources.