Minister for the Environment Dick Roche has asked for a report on the halting of work on the €14 million ring road in Kilkenny.
Speaking on local radio in Kilkenny yesterday, Mr Roche said he has asked for a report on the matter and that once he could "review the facts" he would see if he could "make a meaningful intervention".
Work on the 4.3km single carriageway is being carried out for Kilkenny County Council by Kildare company Regan Civil Engineering, which won a competitive tender in May 2005. The work is intended to relieve traffic pressure and also involves the realignment of a section of the Dublin-Waterford railway line. But concern has been mounting this week over the delay to work on the project.
The delay is due to be raised at a meeting of Kilkenny County Council next Monday, when councillors are expected to ask for an update from the county manager.
County council officials confirmed that they are disappointed with the level of progress but would not comment on the reasons for the work stoppage. Michael Delahunty, acting director of services with the county council, said yesterday that the authority is acting in the public interest in this matter.
"We are currently considering, in conjunction with the National Roads Authority, our options to bring about a satisfactory outcome to the situation so that the ring road extension can be progressed and completed as quickly as possible," he said.
Responding to criticism that local politicians had not been offered an explanation as to why the project had reached an impasse, Mr Delahunty said: "We will on Monday be issuing a further statement to our elected members and to the public on this matter."
Fine Gael Kilkenny TD Phil Hogan said yesterday that the halt in work on the city's new ring was "a disaster" for local people who had been waiting for over 20 years for this major piece of infrastructure to be completed.
Deputy Hogan said he hoped that all parties could "get around a table in the next few days to resolve the issue and get the traffic moving".
Fianna Fáil TD John McGuinness said the council appears to be in denial about the situation. He said that public representatives "deserve an explanation" about what is going on and that neither county nor borough councillors have been briefed by officials.
Mr McGuinness said that a resolution must be found outside the courts and has briefed Mr Roche on the problem.
Regan Civil Engineering declined to comment to The Irish Times yesterday, saying that the company "would not be making any comment to third parties".
The National Roads Authority also declined to comment.
