‘Not enough being spent’ on State’s €30bn motorway network

The State's new motorway network, worth an estimated €30 billion, is on a deteriorating spiral with not enough money being spent to keep it on "steady state" maintenance, according to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).

In addition, the authority said the proposed M20 Cork to Limerick motorway - which has been identified as crucial to achieving a government target of 300,000 jobs for the southern region, is at least 10 years away - and that is if money is allocated under the Governments mid-term review of capital spending.

In Northern Ireland, where the State is committed to spending on cross-border routes, neither TII nor Monaghan County Council is actively engaged with Transport Northern Ireland on the A5 /N3 link up.

The gloomy outlook for the State's roads was delivered by TII chief executive Michael Nolan and Department of Transport assistant secretary general Ray O'Leary on Wednesday.

Mr Nolan was the second chief executive of a major State transport operator this week to tell the Government it had insufficient money to fulfil its objectives.

He followed David Franks of Iarnród Éireann who said some railway routes may have to close unless there is major investment.

Mr Nolan and Mr O’Leary told the Oireachtas Committee on Transport future costs for bringing the road network back up to standard could be well in excess of the cost of maintenance.

Mr Nolan told the committee the damage being done to the roads by lack of adequate spending in the longer term would see the costs remediation being “double” the cost of maintenance.

He said current levels of investment in “pavement” renewals was less than a third of that required.

‘Shovel ready’

In relation to minor works on national roads, Mr Nolan said “the current construction programme of realignments will end shortly. While there are some 50 other such schemes at various stages of planning, none of these schemes can proceed to construction in the short term”, as they are not “shovel ready”.

The Government’s current capital investment plan provides for the construction of eight major national road projects.

The plan identifies five other projects to be progressed to construction, subject to planning. The total investment is €730m with 90 per cent of this spread over the last three years of a seven-year plan.

Most are due start construction after 2019, with the exception of the widening of the M7 at Naas, which is expected to be sooner.

Under the State’s public private partnership programme, three new roads are being delivered. These are the M17/18 Gort to Tuam motorway, the N25 New Ross bypass and the M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy motorway.

Mr Nolan said should additional funding be allocated following the mid-term review of the capital expenditure plan, TII would look at the potential to accelerate some projects, the construction of additional projects and the planning of others, including the upgrade of a strategic M20 connection between Cork and Limerick.

However he said it could take up to 10 years for the M20 to be realised, divided between design, planning and construction, and that was not counting the possibility of a court challenge.

But he said failure to respond to future needs would lead to increased congestion, longer and less reliable journey times, less safe roads, higher costs and suppressed economic activity.

In relation to the Government’s commitments to contributing to cross-Border road schemes, Mr Nolan said the only cross-Border national route planned at the moment is the link crossing the River Foyle between Lifford and Strabane. The construction of this link is conditional on the construction of the A5.

At the southern end of the A5, he said there would be a need to agree details where the new A5 meets the N2.

“As that section of the A5 will not be built for some years, neither Monaghan County Council nor TII are actively engaged with Transport NI on the crossing” he said.

Mr O’Leary told the committee the Department of Transport had made a submission to Government for additional funding in the mid-term review of capital expenditure.