Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 February 2019
652. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if funding has been committed specifically for the construction of Fintra bridge; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7080/19]
Amharc ar fhreagra654. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the estimated final cost for the refurbishment of Tír Chonaill bridge, Donegal town, County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7082/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 652 and 654 together.
The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from local authorities' own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the local authority.
Before the financial crisis, local authorities could apply on a regular basis for grants for Specific (schemes costing less than €5m) and Strategic Improvement Grants (schemes costing more than €5m) for the strengthening, widening or realignment of regional and local roads. However, the extent of the cutbacks in grant funding during the crisis meant this grant scheme had to be curtailed from 2013 because expenditure on maintenance/renewal was falling well short of what was required to adequately maintain the regional and local road network.
The current Capital Plan does provide for the gradual build-up in funding for the road network but it will take some years yet to reach the level required even for the basic maintenance and renewal of the network. For this reason, there continues to be very limited scope for funding new or additional projects under the Specific and Strategic Grant Programmes.
Any projects proposed by local authorities for consideration under these Grant Programmes 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 the Department's Capital Appraisal Framework (CAF) and it is important for local authorities to prioritise projects within their overall area of responsibility with these requirements in mind.
As regards the Tir Chonaill bridge, Donegal town, the 2019 grant allocation for the rehabilitation of the bridge is €900,000. The estimated total cost of the project is €1.8 million.
In relation to Fintra bridge, an allocation of €150,000 is being provided in 2019 for the scheme which is at route option selection stage.
