A major €525 million investment programme for 2020 for regional and local roads across Ireland has been unveiled, representing an increase of 8%.

Announcing the investment, Transport Minister Shane Ross TD said: "The funding package will allow approximately 2,700kms of roads to be maintained and 2,300kms to be strengthened. Well maintained roads are crucial to road safety, to saving lives and to minimizing road collisions. Road fatalities and injuries can be cut drastically by smart investment in better roads.

"In light of the 2018 condition study of regional roads, I will also continue the pilot scheme which targets highly trafficked wide former national roads which are in poor condition. Funding for this work has increased to €7 million for 2020. Ring-fenced funding for the Community Involvement Scheme was introduced in 2018. A new two year work programme under the Scheme is starting this year and I can confirm that €16 million will be allocated to the Scheme in 2020."

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Around €48 million of the investment will be dedicated to road improvement schemes, with the largest chunk of €245m set aside for road pavement strengthening works. Further investment will see €68m allocated for surface dressing, €84m for maintenance and strengthening, €14m for bridge rehabilitation works, €11m for safety improvement works and €20m for drainage works.

As well as revealing roads investment, Minister Ross also confirmed three projects under the National Development Plan which are set to go into construction in 2020: the Coonagh to Knockalisheen upgrade; Athy Southern Distributor Road; and Bettystown to Laytown Link Road.

This funding package will also enable the Sallins By-Pass and Sligo Western Distributor Road projects to reach completion in 2020. Other NDP projects expected to progress over the next 12 months include the Tralee Northern Relief Road, Eastern Garavogue Bridge in Sligo and Brackly Bridge Replacement, Co Monaghan.

Minister Ross added: "I would also like to emphasise again that I consider that local authorities are best placed to assess priorities within their areas and considerable autonomy is therefore given to local authorities under most grant headings to decide their work programme. I would also explain that these grants supplement local authorities own resources expenditure on regional and local road projects and do not represent the total investment in regional and local roads for this year."

(CM/MH)