€4million For Road Restoration In North Tipperary

The Fine Gael TD Noel Coonan has welcomed an allocation of almost €4million towards the restoration of roads in North Tipperary. Alongside this, a €72,727 Drainage Grant has been ring-fenced for the constituency.

“Of the €3,990,918 allocated under the restoration improvement scheme, North Tipperary County Council can transfer €1,197,275 of this money to the Discretionary Grant. This will allow the local authority considerably more freedom in how they spend their roads grants and allow them to focus on monies on emergency repairs,” explained Deputy Coonan.

“This new initiative was made this morning (Friday) by my Fine Gael colleague and Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar. The purpose of the initiative is 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. The Minister has met with delegates from a number of local authorities who have asked for greater flexibility in how they can spend their road funding. That is why the Government is giving permission to local authorities to re-allocate €42 million from the existing Restoration Improvement Grant for other uses, such as pothole repairs and repairs to road surfaces.
The issue of poor drainage has consistently been highlighted as an issue in the degradation of local roads in particular. Minister Varadkar has created a fund of €2.7m that can be used specifically to improve road drainage, clear remove surface water, repair the road surface and remove potholes and to address existing road drainage problem areas. In North Tipperary we have received a €72,727 Drainage Grant,” continued Deputy Coonan.

There is now no longer a requirement that a minimum of 90% of works in the ‘Restoration Improvement,’ category, must in future be solely road reconstruction and thus allows County Councils nationwide, to have the flexibility to undertake much needed surface restoration work.