Dempsey still dithering on critical road repairs
Issued : Monday 1 February, 2010
Transport Minister Noel Dempsey must urgently speed up the process of providing extra funding to repair roads all over the country which have been seriously damaged by the recent snow and floods, said Labour Councillor Carrie Smyth.
"The figure for fully repairing the non-national and regional roads has now been estimated at €1 billion. Yet Minister Dempsey has still not announced even the regular 2010 funding allocation for non-national roads. The Transportation Department in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council has informed the Council that it will cost an estimated €1.8m to repair the roads in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown."
"Dun Laoghaire Rathdown is completely in the dark over how much funding they may receive to repair the incredible damage that has occurred to the road networks during the recent extreme weather conditions. People in affected areas continue to experience severe danger and inconvenience because of the devastation caused to so many roads. There are serious public safety implications if roads are left in such a terrible state of disrepair."
"Minister Dempsey and his government colleagues may apply for funds from the European Union Rural Development Fund to help with the costs of the road repair bill. The Minister must now expedite this process and ensure that all national and European Union funding is allocated so as to allow Dun Laoghaire Rathdown and other Local Authorities to carry out these vital repairs as a matter of priority."
Cllr 
