WITH FUNDING for the maintenance of national roads cut by 60 per cent, the National Road Authority (NRA) has said it will be a “challenge to ensure the pavement condition of the network does not deteriorate” this year.
Just €29 million has been allocated for the maintenance of the national roads for this year, compared to €75 million in 2008. The reduction was made before yesterday’s Budget.
The money is used to maintain and repair the surface or pavement, signage, lights, road lines and barriers on national roads, the country’s busiest. The majority of the work is carried out by local authorities.
The NRA has consistently argued for the preservation and maintenance of the national road network to ensure the best return on the State’s investment. For this reason the authority has sought to restrict commercial development at junctions along national routes.
According to documents obtained from the NRA, as a result of the funding restriction “only a limited number of pavement schemes will proceed in 2009”.
In a separate development, Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey has said he is interested in handing over responsibility for administration of the regional and local roads investment programme from his department to the NRA.
The matter is the subject of ongoing discussions between the department and the NRA.
