[PR] NRA budget

Victor

NRA Chairman Welcomes Budget Allocation for Investment in National Roads in 2004 and Government Commitment to a Five-Year Funding Programme
3rd December 2003

Mr. Peter Malone, Chairman of the National Roads Authority (NRA), today (3 December, 2003) welcomed the capital allocation of €1.227 billion in the Budget for national road investment in 2004 as well as the decision by Government to implement a multi-annual funding arrangement entailing a commitment to continued substantial investment in national roads over the next five years. “The scale of the Government’s commitment to investment in national road improvements, involving Exchequer funding of over €7 billion over the period 2004-2008, is a clear recognition of the importance of an efficient road transport system for the economy, continued competitiveness and better quality of life”, said Mr. Malone.

The Authority’s allocation of €1.28 billion for next year will finance a high level of road construction activity throughout the country. Major projects continuing under construction include the N2 Carrickmacross By-Pass, M4 Kilcock/Kinnegad, M7 Monasterevin By-Pass, N8 Cashel By-Pass, N11 Rathnew/Ashford, N21 Ballycarty/Tralee, N26 Ballina/Bohola Phase 1, M50 South Eastern Motorway and M50 Dublin Port Tunnel.

Mr. Malone stated, “The allocation for 2004 will sustain an intensive programme of national road improvement works. In addition to schemes already underway which will continue under construction next year, the Authority will be in a position to commence work on 11 schemes, including a significant number in the BMW Region – M1 Dundalk Western By-Pass, N1 Dundalk/Border, N4 Sligo Inner Relief Road, N6 Loughrea By-Pass and N15 Ballyshannon/Bundoran By-Pass. Major traffic bottlenecks in the Southern and Eastern Region will be tackled as schemes advance to construction involving by-passes of Ashbourne (N2), Fermoy (N8), Ennis (N18) and Waterford City (N25). Work will also start on the provision of a third lane on each carriageway of the Naas Road between Rathcoole and the Naas By-Pass
and the provision of grade separated junctions at Johnstown and Kill. Road users in the environs of Cork City stand to benefit as construction gets underway on the provision of a grade separated interchange on the N25 Kinsale Road.”

Mr. Malone identified the long standing practice of the annual budgetary process as a serious constraint on the efficient delivery of the national roads programme. In the past, the Authority has had to wait until Budget day to learn what the Exchequer allocation to the roads programme for the following year would be. The uncertainty about funding levels was not conducive to the most effective management and roll-out of the programme, particularly given the unprecedented scale of activity set out in the National Development Plan, 2000-2006. This led to the creation of a stop-go environment, reflected in the inconsistent levels of road construction activity in recent years which saw no new project starts in 2002 and commencement of eight new projects in the current year.

Mr. Malone pointed out, “The traditional annual budgetary process has significantly inhibited the Authority’s efforts to strengthen programme management practices, our ability to plan ahead with confidence and our capacity to complete schemes to a pre-determined timetable. The Authority has lobbied strongly for the abandonment of this out-dated approach and has pressed for the adoption of a multi-annual funding arrangement instead. Minister Brennan is to be commended on his success in securing Government support for these new arrangements.”

The introduction of a multi-annual funding arrangement extending over a five year period will allow the Authority to bring greater clarity to the commencement date of schemes in line with established priorities, bringing certainty to the communities affected by proposed road schemes and facilitating the construction industry in scheduling its activities and deploying resources to best effect.

The Authority, building on the new arrangements, will publish a multi-annual national roads programme early in 2004. The substantial Exchequer funding commitment to the programme will be supplemented by private investment in Public Private Partnership schemes, further increasing the scale of road building activity and accelerating the completion of individual national road schemes.