The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of the relevant local authority in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from the Council's own resources supplemented by State road grants.
Under Project Ireland 2040 my Department is committed, subject to necessary approvals, to providing grant funding towards the cost of 12 significant capital road improvement schemes on regional and local roads and the Shannon Crossing/Killaloe Bypass/R494 upgrade scheme is one of those projects.
Implementation of the Shannon Crossing/Killaloe Bypass/R494 upgrade scheme is the responsibility of Clare County Council. I understand that advance works related to the scheme are underway and that the prequalification process for potential tenderers has been initiated in parallel with the preparation of contract documentation for the main construction contract.