Minister Noel Dempsey announces €607.5 million for 2009 Regional and Local Roads Programme allocated as follows:-
· €310 million for pavement improvement and maintenance
· €182 million on 316 specific road improvement projects
· €15 million for local improvements, improving access to isolated and depopulated areas
· €8.6 million to address accident black spots
Speaking about the 2009 investment programme. Minister Dempsey said that he was particularly pleased that in a year when exchequer funding is under enormous pressure he was in a position to allocate over €600 million for the maintenance and improvement of our regional and local roads network, during this comming year.
While 94% of all our roads are regional or local – they carry about 60% of all traffic and 43% of all goods traffic.
Since the mid-1990s tax payers have invested over €2 billion in a programme of road restoration and reconstruction and have also spent about €650 million on road maintenance works thus making our roads better and safer.
The Minister added that he had allowed 50% of the total available funds – €310 million countrywide – for the Pavement Restoration Programme, which is intended to improve 2,540 kilometres of road this year and will surface dress a further 4,200 kilometres. We can gather from this statement that local Council elections will definitely be held this year.
The other main elements of the 2009 investment programme include improvements to signposting on regional roads, traffic management measures, improvements to footpaths, and grants for road worker training programmes.
A total of €15 million has been set aside this year for the Local Improvements Scheme. Under this scheme, grants are made available to county councils for the carrying out of road works on private roads. Works carried out provide improved access for people in isolated and depopulated areas.
It must also be stressed that the importance of local authorities in the improvement and maintenance of the regional and local roads network. “State grants are a supplement to expenditure by the local authorities. All authorities need to maintain and even increase their own expenditure on their road networks.”
Total 2009 Regional and Local Road Grant Allocations for Co.Tipperary are as follows:-
North Tipperary Co Council will received €14,739,598 while South Tipperary Co Council will received slightly more at €15,029,998.
Town Councils:
Templemore Town Council €204,000, – Thurles Town Council €287,000, –Tipperary Town Council €287,000, – Nenagh Town Council €287,000,- Carrick-On-Suir Town Council €287,000,- Cashel Town Council €204,000, – Clonmel Borough Council €721,740.
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