Fianna Fáil and Greens on collision course over roads funding

Mr Martin said TII’s concerns about its short-term funding model are valid and not enough progress has been made on delivering road projects because of issues within the Government over road building policy. He said: 

TII has suffered in terms of being left hanging out there in respect of some road projects, lacking clarity, and that was something we didn’t sign up for in government and it is something I am concerned about. 

“And for the want of small money, quite a number of projects could be started by now. So that will be an issue that we will be making clear in our manifesto for the next election and, going into any new government, there won’t be any ambiguity about this.”

TII’s chief executive Peter Walsh warned last month of possible delays to some of the State’s largest road projects, and a lean ‘pipeline’ of works, because of how funding is allocated annually rather than for multiple years in advance.

The ambitious M20 Cork to Limerick transport project and the M28 Cork to Ringaskiddy motorway are among the schemes that could be affected by delays, he warned.

Mr Walsh said providing multi-annual funding would provide certainty for several years ahead, allowing TII to better engage with contractors and plan for large schemes that take years to advance. While several large road schemes are at various stages of development, he said just two projects, Galway City and Slane, are with An Bord Pleanála for approval.

In the wake of his comments, Fine Gael TD for Cork East, David Stanton, asked the transport minister to consider a multi-annual funding approach, citing how the proposed N72 Mallow relief road project was not granted enough funding at the start of this year and recently needed a supplementary allocation. to progress.

However, Mr Ryan said there are no plans to change how TII is funded, insisting that robust procedures are in place to ensure it can deliver annually.

Mr Martin told the Irish Examiner that he favours a multi-annual funding approach but said there have been challenges within the Government on policy around building roads.

“I support the building of public transport and we had commitments that the National Development Plan roads that have been agreed in the original NDP, and subsequently, would be delivered. That hasn’t happened to the degree that I would have liked,” he said.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are clear that the country needs to build roads in addition to developing public transport, he said.

“I favour the Cork-Limerick road — the idea that you would be dragged kicking and screaming to get the Cork-Limerick road done is not something I am going to contemplate.”

Last month, as he opened the €62m Listowel bypass in Kerry, Taoiseach Simon Harris also took a swipe at the Green Party’s stance on road funding, pledging to continue investing in road-building, saying the ‘roads versus climate’ debate is often oversimplified.