Fine Gael TD for Limerick, Patrick O’ Donovan has welcomed the new initiative launched by the Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar to maintain rural roads by allowing local authorities permission to re-focus Government road funding of €42 million on the upkeep and maintenance of the existing road network.
“This initiative will see significant improvements to the local road network throughout the county. Minister Varadkar has written to 29 local authorities announcing that €42 million from the Restoration Improvement Grant can be used for emergency repair works on local and regional roads. The new initiative will allow Limerick County Council to use over €1.6 million to carry out emergency repairs on local and regional roads across the county. Separately, Limerick County Council will be provided with more than €101,000 for drainage works on the worst affected local roads.”
“The poor condition of roads in rural parts of Limerick is not only causing a real headache for local residents, they are also a serious safety concern and I pleased that Minister Varadkar has now taken action to give Limerick County Council and other local authorities the flexibility to deal with this problem. Local authorities will be able to use up to 30% of the Restoration Improvement Grant to carry out emergency works.”
“Drainage is also a serious problem in many parts of Limerick, with surface water causing huge potholes on many of our smaller rural roads. Minister Varadkar is addressing this problem by creating a new €2.7 million fund for drainage works; Limerick County Council will benefit from over €101,000 from this pot of funding.”
“The works that will be carried out as a result of this funding should make a real difference to the people of Limerick, who should be able to go about their daily business without having to navigate potholes and difficult surfaces. At a time when funding is very restricted, I think we need to focus our efforts on maintaining the roads we have and keep them in as high a standard as possible.”
“I am delighted this funding has been made available by the Minister, and I would urge Limerick County Council to access it as quickly as possible, so vital road improvements can be carried out without delay.”