Revealed: Where €19m for Wicklow roads will be spent
The Wicklow PeopleA major investment of just under €19m has been given the green light for the roads network across County Wicklow.
The bulk of the funding will be going towards supporting the maintenance and restoration of the existing road network with the overarching aim to ensure connectivity, support the rural communities in Wicklow, improve daily commutes, and benefit local businesses through various grants covering pavement strengthening, bridge rehabilitation, drainage, and community initiatives.
The funding, which was announced by Tánaiste Simon Harris, comes after some local roads were left decimated following Storm Chandra and recent flooding episodes.
The Tánaiste said funding for roads is “a major priority” and explained the money will be invested in regional and local roads this year.
"I am particularly pleased to see major investment in key projects on our National Roads network including €1 million for road safety improvements at Kilpedder on the N11, €900,000 for the Hollywood Park and Ride on the N81, and €500,000 towards the N11/M11 Junction 4 to Junction 14 Improvement Scheme.”
The Wicklow TD said the funding will help improve the road network across the county.
"The N11 and N81 are vital in connecting Wicklow to Dublin, the south east and the west.
"On top of that, improving our roads is key to economic growth. We need to invest in our roads to reduce congestion and improve connectivity throughout the region.
"As Tánaiste I will always support funding in our roads locally and nationally to back local businesses, ease the daily commute and connect families closer together.”
The funding announcement comes after Baltinglass Municipal District councillors Avril Cronin and Patsy Glennon secured a meeting with Transport Minister Darragh O Brien, following a submission they made on the National Development Plan.
“Cllr Glennon and I made a submission to the National Development plan urging the Government to include the much-needed upgrade of the N81 in the revised plan.
“Both of us are members of the Eastern and Midlands Regional Assembly, representing Wicklow County Council. We have ensured that the N81 is a priority for the Assembly, following a motion which received unanimous support.
“During the meeting with Minister O’Brien, we outlined that urgent need to upgrade the road, which is the only national road leaving Dublin that has not been upgraded. Funding allocations are welcome. However, we will continue to push for progress on this issue.”
Plans for the road have been stalled and both councillors expressed their concerns regarding the safety of the road, which is the main archery from Dublin, through west Wicklow, down to Carlow.
In response to a query from Cllr Glennon at the local authority’s February monthly meeting, Wicklow County Council chief executive Emer O’Gorman indicated she was liaising with her county colleagues on the matter.
“In relation to the N81, I have had a discussion with my colleague in South Dublin County Council and my colleague in Carlow County Council, and a very quick conversation with my colleague in Kildare on the matter.
“South Dublin County Council are looking doing a traffic and impact study on the N81 as it leaves south Dublin into Wicklow, and I said we would be very happy to be part of that. They are looking to develop part of the south Dublin county for economic development purposes and the road is not fit to support that, never mind the issues that the members here have been raising for years.”
“So, we are working on that,” she added.
The breakdown of the nearly €19m funding announcement includes the following allocations:
Regional and local roads: • Restoration improvement: €8,436,500 • Discretionary grant: €2,005,500 • Restoration maintenance: €996,000 • Supplementary restoration maintenance: €921,000 • Bridge rehabilitation: €545,000 • Strategic rehabilitation regional roads: €460,000 • Climate change adaptation and resilience: €461,000 • Drainage works: €440,500 • Safety improvement works: €430,000 • Community involvement scheme: €100,000 • Training grant: €54,700 • PSCI survey support: €18,000
Regional and local roads subtotal: €14,908,200
National roads: • Current maintenance and protection: €469,213 • Capital investment - protection and renewal: €3,100,000 • Construction of new roads: €500,000
Key projects that have received funding include;
N11/M11 corridor: • N11/M11 Junction 4 to Junction 14 Improvement Scheme: €500,000 • N11 Kilpedder Road Safety Improvement Scheme (RSIS): €1,000,000 • N11 J12 Southbound Road Safety Improvement Scheme: €100,000 • N11 Bus Stop Scheme: €10,000 • M11 Junction 20 R772 pavement and strengthening: €20,000 • Local authority support (improvement works): €300,000
N81 corridor: • N81 Hollywood Park and Ride Road Safety Improvement Scheme: €900,000 • N81 Blessington South Road Safety Improvement Scheme: €300,000 • N81 Hangmans Bend Realignment Scheme: €300,000 • N81 Rosburgh Junctions Road Safety Improvement Scheme: €300,000 • N81 Baltinglass South Road Safety Improvement Scheme: €50,000
Maintenance and safety: • Motorway maintenance and renewal contract (MMaRC) lighting: €267,082 • National secondary route winter maintenance: €101,362 • National primary route ordinary maintenance: €48,606 • National secondary route Lighting: €19,363 • Local authority support (winter maintenance): €10,000 • Local authority support (general maintenance): €22,800
Town centre safety improvements: • Main Street, Arklow (R772): €20,000 • Main Street, Baltinglass (R747): €20,000 • Main Street, Enniskerry (R760): €20,000 • Main Street, Bray (R761): €20,000 • Main Road, Greystones (R762): €20,000