Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 July 2019
81. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on whether local and regional roads are in a satisfactory and safe condition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29575/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraEach local authority is the statutory road authority for its area and has primary responsibility for the maintenance and improvement of its regional and local roads. Within available budgets and where applicable, my Department does provide grant support to road authorities while emphasising the importance of local authorities’ prioritising expenditure on roads when allocating their own resources.
As well as providing grant support to local authorities, my Department has been supporting the development of a Road Asset Management System for regional and local roads over the last number of years. The Road Management Office, which has been established as a shared service between 31 local authorities, together with my Department, has been working with local authorities to ensure that this road pavement management system includes a record of all pavement-related works and information on road surfaces and pavement condition.
The objective of the MapRoad pavement management system is to provide the data needed for evidence-based prioritisation and management of road work programmes by each road authority.
My Department has also produced a Pavement Survey Standard for Regional and Local Roads for use in respect of road pavement management by Local Authorities. This standard requires Local Authorities to carry out a Pavement Survey Condition Index (PSCI) visual survey on regional, local primary and local secondary roads every two years and every five years for local tertiary roads.
A road condition survey of the whole regional road network was commissioned by my Department and undertaken in 2018. The results of the survey have been conveyed to local authorities via the MapRoad system.
