No extra funding for road repairs

Local authorities are to be given “greater discretion” to use funds from their existing budget allocations for road works from the Department of Transport to repair routes damaged by the winter's freezing weather and floods.

The authorities will not be allocated any extra funds for the reparation work - which is estimated to cost about €180 million - because of the current strain on public finances, Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey said today.

Announcing this year’s funding for the country's regional and local roads network today, Mr Dempsey said councils are to given greater flexibility over the €240 million allocation for general rehabilitation and maintenance of road surfaces to allow them prioritise the damaged routes.

He acknowledged the prioritising of routes affected by the weather would divert funds away from other programmes such as new roads and various improvement projects. “The focus this year has to be on the roads damaged by the weather over the winter,” Mr Dempsey said.

He insisted the funds for reparation work, allocated under a grant system, represented a significant investment at a time when public finances are under severe pressure.

Mr Dempsey also stressed the importance of local authorities allocating their own resources for the improvement and maintenance of regional and local routes.

“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 and it is particularly important that local authorities carefully reassess their planned road programmes for 2010,” he said.

The overall allocation of €411 million will see €62.2 million spent on 138 specific projects, including bridges, across the country. A further €60 million will fund surface dressing works on dozens of local routes.

Smaller allocations of €26.5 million will fund the rehabilitation and maintenance of road pavements in urban areas.