'We shouldn’t have to beg and borrow' as concerns mount over Limerick roads funding gap
Rural Limerick road funding criticised, with councillors highlighting major imbalance in allocation and impact on roads, footpaths and wider infrastructure works
CONCERNS have been raised that essential road safety works in parts of rural Limerick are not being carried out or are being scaled back due to budget constraints despite some budgets being up on last year.
At the April meeting of the Adare-Rathkeale Municipal District, Senior Executive Engineer Kevin Murphy highlighted that while most of the district’s budgets were on par with last year, some budgets such as general maintenance saw a 6% increase.
Independent Ireland councillor John O’Donoghue criticised the allocation of funding, claiming it is not reflective of the needs of the area.
He said costs continue to escalate while funding per kilometre in the district is “abhorrently” low compared to the metropolitan district, noting that "we have way more roads."
"We have every issue that they have [in the metropolitan] and probably more but we have the difficulties" he added.
Cllr O’Donoghue highlighted a regional road running through Fedamore that is “falling apart” and cannot be properly maintained as they “cannot budget” the necessary repairs.
He said that he is "not looking for anything extra, just a little bit of equality."
Leas chathaoirleach for the district, Bridie Collins backed the concerns raised, saying the funding allocation across the Adare-Rathkeale area is not reflective of the scale of demand locally.
She pointed to the gap in provision compared to other areas, saying the district is working with significantly reduced resources while still trying to deliver essential infrastructure.
Cllr Collins referenced a €17 million Active Travel allocation for Limerick City compared to around €700,000 for the MD, saying "it's nuts, when every single village within our district, you cannot walk to the extremity of the village."
She raised examples such as Ballyneety, where residents have requested a footpath "out past the golf club", and how the MD has communities which "have schools that have no footpaths to the school."
Cllr Collins said they are "scrambling to make it work" on such projects, adding that some, such as the schools, have now become a "safety matter."
She added that they “shouldn’t have to beg and borrow” to deliver these projects.
Director of Service for the district, Vincent Murray, clarified that funding for schemes such as Active Travel are allocated at a national level not local, meaning it is non-discretionary and not voted on by councillors.
He said that while there are a "few rural" schemes the 2026 allocations is "predominately urban."
Mr Murray added that Patricia Liddy, Director of Transportation, Mobility and Placemaking, is "constantly" raising the issue of seek more monies as they are "always underfunded for roads."
He also noted that the roads in the district have been impacted by the recent "bad winter" and that costs have risen "significantly" in the last five years.