Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan and Minister of State Jack Chambers have announced €30 million in additional funding for regional and local roads.
A total of €1,296,500 has been allocated to Clare County Council to deal specifically with the impact of climate change, which has contributed to a deterioration in the surface quality of certain parts of the network over the winter months.
Following persistent rainfall over winter and spring, and in line with the Government’s commitment to support local authorities in the maintenance and renewal of the regional and local road network, this emergency investment will assist in addressing the worst impacted areas of the road network. In persistent wet conditions, water seepage contributes to damage such as the development of potholes or pavement collapse.
Announcing the funding, Minister Ryan said: “Keeping our road network safe is a priority for me and this Government. Climate change, like the prolonged rain we saw this past winter and spring, has a damaging impact on our road surfaces which has to be addressed quickly so that it does not lead to further deterioration. Through this additional funding Local Authorities can begin to restore the impacted Regional and Local Road network along with building resilience into the network in an ever-changing environment.”
Minister Chambers added: “This investment in protecting and improving the existing road network is fundamental for road safety, and for connecting people and places across the country. Our network facilitates business, education, tourism, healthcare, agriculture and the provision of critical services and activities. Prompt restoration of the impacted road network is essential from a safety perspective as well as maintaining key social and economic connections.”
For equity, this additional funding is to be distributed among local authorities based on road lengths per region as extreme rain affected areas throughout the country. The Dublin local authorities self-fund road maintenance and improvement works from the receipt of local property taxes, and so have not been allocated funding under this scheme. They will maintain and renew local and regional roads in their areas from their own budgets