NRA gives Mayo ’crumbs’

NRA gives Mayo ‘crumbs from the table’

Anton McNulty

MAYO’S 2008 roads allocation of only €16 million from the National Roads Authority (NRA) has been described as another example of the county receiving the ‘crumbs from the top table’.

Last week, the NRA and the Department of Transport announced that almost €1.7 billion will be spent on roads in the country this year, with Mayo receiving less than one per cent of that total. In 2007, €44 million was allocated to the county but with no capital roads project planned for Mayo in 2008, it was always predicted the allocation would be low.

Cllr Michael Holmes, Chairman of the Western Roads Action Committee, described the allocation as ‘pittance’ and he told The Mayo News that it showed the county’s lack of political clout at Government level.

“My belief is that the political representatives are not doing the work. To get one per cent of the entire budget is worse than getting the crumbs from the table and it is a ridiculous situation. It just shows what regard there is for Mayo at national level. If the N5 and the N26 are not ready then a serious amount more should have been given to the National Secondary Roads like the N59, and I am disappointed this has not been done,” he said.

Despite the Charlestown by-pass being completed and opened last October, €5 million – nearly a third of the budget – has been allocated this year for the close-out stage of the road. The planning stage of the N5 Westport to Bohola has been allocated €1,250,000, while phase two of the N26 Ballina to Bohola road gets €1 million. Improvement works on the N60 from Carrick Hill to Breaffy are allocated €800,000 and the N59 Rosgally to Mulranny road gets €700,000.

Fine Gael councillor and Chair of the Strategic Policy Committee on Transport, Michelle Mulherin, said the allocation was not a surprise and criticised the Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey TD, for declining to meet a delegation from the Council to discuss Transport 21.

“It was obvious when the Minister declined to meet with us that he would not have a satisfactory answer for us regarding the untimely delivery of roads. We are way down the line of priorities and we need timely investment in the county. A lot of the planning and consultancy process is just about putting a long finger on the construction stage. The new design and consultation process for the N5 from Westport to Bohola will now ultimately delay that project. It is an additional layer of bureaucracy and the net result is that we don’t get any roads,” she said.

Cllr Mulherin said that Mayo was constantly fighting to attract industry to the county and the poor infrastructure is always brought up by the IDA as a reason for being unable to attract industry. She said that existing companies were losing profits because of the condition of the roads, adding that the main routes to peripheral counties should be given the same priority as the inter-urban routes.

Mayo’s Fianna Fáil TD, Dara Calleary, welcomed the allocation for the roads in Mayo and was hopeful the CPO stage of the N26 would be completed in the summer. He acknowledged that the N26 should have been completed years ago but said he would continue to press for its construction and the commencement of the N5.

“I would be hopeful that the N26 can move forward without delay and we hope to see construction in 2010. It will be a two-plus-two road which will have a complex design and, as of today, I am happy with the progress. Of course the road should have been built 30 years ago but all I can do is play the cards I have. A plan also needs to be put in place for the Westport to Castlebar road and I will be putting maximum pressure on for that to be done,” he said.