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Roads funding under fire in Limerick |
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Written by Rachael Finucane
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Wednesday, 03 February 2010 |
THE N7 Limerick to Nenagh motorway is to be completed in 2010 after being included in the latest round of Government road funding but local authority allocations have come under fire.
It emerged that Limerick County Council will receive €43.7m for improvement and maintenance work in 2010 while Limerick City Council is set to get €378,900.
Limerick East TD and Minister for State Peter Power confirmed that the N7 project will be included in the €1.115bn National Roads Programme.
Around 36km will be completed between Castletown and Nenagh; 38km from Nenagh to Limerick and a further 10km for the Limerick Tunnel has also been included.
Minister Power said: “I’m glad to see that funding for the N7 has been provided in the 2010 allocation and the motorway will now run all the way to Limerick. This will improve travel to and from Limerick City and allow for quicker transport of goods, services all around the country. We had already heard that the Limerick Tunnel is due to be completed months ahead of schedule this year and this is another boost to Limerick.”
Minister Power said that once the motorway is finished the travelling time from Limerick to Dublin “will be greatly reduced and that will help bring more investment and tourists to the city and the rest of the county”.
The M20 Cork to Limerick road will also move to the Compulsory Purchase Order stage in 2010.
However, Director of Service for Transport at Limerick City Council, Pat Dromey, said that while the allocation is similar to last year he is disappointed that there are no allowances for the recent extreme weather.
“We’ve had exceptional circumstances over the last few months and have made a separate application for funding to repair frost and water damage and pay for all the extra salt needed. The Government hasn’t taken those things into account in this allocation. Our own budget will put as much as the Government allocation in again. Just like last year, there was also no funding given for pavement overlays.”
He added that many of the county projects will have benefits for the city but the actual mileage of primary and secondary roads in the city is quite small.
Minister Power said that “Limerick City & County has benefited this year from an substantial allocation to complete major road projects, maintain the existing network and continue planning and preparation for new projects, such as the Adare Bypass”.
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