There was a warm welcome earlier in the week for the announcement by the Minister for the Environment that non-national roads were to get a decent allocation from central government.
The midlands suffers greatly from lack of a proper roads infrastructure, and this has been cited on many occasions for the lack of industrial development in the area.
It has also contributed to the high number of traffic accidents locally which the Minister, Mr Dempsey, admitted contributed to 25 per cent of all accidents.
The fact that huge areas of the midlands are covered in peat has not helped as roads built over bogs tend to deteriorate rapidly.
In all, the Government allocation to the counties came to £12 million, an increase of 11 per cent in the allocation to cover the programme which is aimed at restoring all the secondary roads by the end of 2005.
This will depend on local councils increasing their spending on non-national roads to match the money coming from Dublin.
Co Laois will receive an allocation of £3.1 million, Longford is to get £2.8 million, Offaly, £3.3 million and Westmeath will receive £2.8 million.
Meanwhile, Westmeath and Offaly County Councils are holding consultative meetings with people living along the route of the proposed new super-highway which will link Kinnegad with Athlone.
Consultants have identified five options for the N6 which will be upgraded to dual carriageway standard and is expected to cost about £200 million.
The proposal has caused unease in towns along the route which fear they will become backwaters when the 12,000 carowners who drive the route daily, are diverted from their towns.
There is unease too that some of the options being considered would take the main road closer to Mullingar than Tullamore, leaving the Co Offaly capital and surrounding towns far off the main road.
It is planned to hold another series of public consultations in late spring before a decision is taken on the proposal, which will shorten the route between the two towns by up to 16 miles.
Still on roads, users of the Dublin/Cork road will be happy to know that the major roadworks which have caused long delays in Abbeyleix, Co Laois, for the last six months, are nearing completion.