Council approves €27 million Laois roads budget
A council director said the winter weather had created ideal conditions for road deterioration
Laois County Council approved a €27 million budget for road works in the county in 2024.
Director of Services Simon Walton presented a report on the proposed spend at the latest monthly meeting of Laois County Council.
Mr Walton said the overall standard of the road network is improving and he acknowledged that the weather over the winter had created ideal conditions for potholes and road network deterioration. He said a “significant proportion” of this year’s funds would go towards remedying the impacts of the winter of 2023/2024.
He said the Transport Infrastructure Ireland(TII) funding amounted to over €4 million for national roads. The money will fund resurfacing and drainage to 5.4kms of the N78 Ballylehane Lower to Farnans at a cost of €1.8 million, €1 million for the completion of works on the N77 Abbeyleix Road in Portlaoise which is at snagging stage, €600,000 for resurfacing the N77 Course to Dunmore, €124,000 for works on the N80 Rathillig/Ashfield Junction and €60,000 for Fingletons Junction on the N80.
In relation to National Secondary Maintenance, a total of €445,949 was allocated for lighting, routine and winter maintenance.
The TII have also allocated €50,000 for a feasibility report for the development of a Greenway between Abbeyleix and Portlaoise.
The Department of Transport has allocated €13,638,750 for Local and Regional Roads, an increase of €52,460 on the 2023 grant.
The largest spend under the Department allocation, almost €10,000,000, will go towards roads maintenance and restoration. The allocation includes €700,000 for former national roads, on bridges €525,000 and €1,878,000 discretionary fund to be used where necessary.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) has announced an Active Travel Allocation for County Laois in the overall sum of €3.5 million for 2024.
It includes €500,000 for bus stop enhancements and €200,000 for the safe routes to school programme.
Meanwhile, the council approved a further €5.5 million for roads and related staff costs in its 2023 budget.
Fianna Fail Cllr Paddy Bracken noted there had been no progress on the relief road for Mountmellick. He said roads around the town were being damaged by people avoiding the town centre.
Independent Cllr Aisling Moran commended the council staff but criticised TII. She said Ashfield Junction had been raised three or four years ago. She said there was a number of areas around the county where TII need to take action in the interest of safety.
She said an 80kmh speed zone in Ballylinan needs to be reduced to 50kmh where there are a number of houses.
Fianna Fail Cllr Padraig Fleming said he was happy to see the Ashfield Junction “finally” being done.
Fine Gael John King said TII were meant to meet with councillors last year but they never did. His party colleague, Cllr Willie Aird asked that the TII meet with councillors. He expressed concern about footpath maintenance and said a previous footpaths programme is no longer in place.
“Footpaths in our area are in a terrible bad state of repair,” he said.
Director of Services Simon Walton agreed that footpaths are poorly funded in the county at the moment.