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.
The extent of the cutbacks in grant funding during the post 2008 recession meant that grant funding for road improvement schemes had to be curtailed because expenditure on maintenance/renewal was falling well short of what was required to adequately maintain the regional and local road network.
The National Development Plan (NDP) does provide for the gradual build up in funding for the road network but funding is not yet at the level needed for the adequate maintenance and renewal of regional and local roads. For this reason, the primary focus for capital investment under my Department's Regional and Local Road Grant Programme at present is the maintenance and renewal of the network and implementation of the 12 regional and local road projects identified for development, subject to necessary approvals, in the NDP.
Any road improvement projects proposed by local authorities for consideration for funding 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 (PSC) and my Department's Capital Appraisal Framework (CAF).
It is my understanding that Louth County Council have been focussed on seeking funding for the proposed Port Access Northern Cross Route (PANCR) under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) administered by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (DHPLG). There was some discussion between Louth County Council and my Department in early 2020 regarding the project appraisal process if the scheme were to be submitted to my Department for consideration. To date no application has been received by this Department from Louth County Council in relation to the proposed PANCR.
It should be noted that the scope for considering any new significant road improvement projects is dependent on the outcome of the NDP review.
