M21 - Limerick to Rathkeale/Foynes [Adare bypass under construction; remainder pending]

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Up to €50m worth of minor road upgrades across the country have been postponed as the funding has been diverted to cover overruns on big projects.

Among the large road developments going over budget is the €500m Adare Bypass, being built in time for the ­ Ryder Cup at billionaire JP McManus’s Adare Manor estate in 2027. Transport Minister Eamon Ryan will not say how big an overspend there is on these roads so far, but an
industry group says nearly €50m has been diverted from smaller projects.

Ahead of a general election, several smaller road projects will be significantly delayed. The minister has admitted that three big projects, in particular, have run over budget and require additional funding – taken from the road-maintenance budget. A list of minor road projects that are now deferred has been identified by an industry body, the Irish
Asphalt Producers Association (IAPA).
The group said the condition of our roads will deteriorate countrywide as a result of the delays. Mr Ryan’s office confirmed the budget overrun on the big road projects in a letter to the lobby group.

The minister’s officials said a number of new road projects “are facing funding pressures in 2024 due to reasons including an increased pace of delivery and land acquisition costs, as well as inflation and
increased cost of materials, which are higher than when the original estimates were calculated”. These new roads are the N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge road in Co Roscommon, which is under
construction, as well as the M28 Cork to Ringaskiddy and the Limerick to Foynes upgrade, including the Adare Bypass, which are approaching construction.
Mr Ryan’s officials were asked how much the projects have run over budget but did not respond.
The industry group estimated that two-thirds of the funding for national roads maintenance is now moved. It said €38m worth of projects have not been tendered as work has been deferred, while
another €10m of projects had contracts awarded that were subsequently withdrawn.

The representative body for road contractors said the state agency, Transport Infrastructure Ireland,
instructed all councils to withhold planned road improvement tenders unless they receive explicit approval. “Such significant cuts are likely to have a detrimental impact on the quality and safety of our national
road network,” the group said in a letter to TDs. “Reduced investment in critical infrastructure not only jeopardises road safety but also threatens long-term economic growth across the regions.”
Mr Ryan’s officials said a number of projects at an earlier stage of development are also affected.
“These important projects are in line with the commitment of Government to invest in new roads infrastructure to ensure that all parts of Ireland are connected to each other. They will also assist in removing traffic from our towns and villages, creating more liveable communities,” his office said.

To continue with the big projects, the Government postponed some works on the existing network until 2025 “or as soon as possible thereafter”.
“In addition, some Greenways funding will be used to advance active travel infrastructure on the national road network, which would otherwise be funded from the roads budget. This will allow funding to be directed to new roads projects. It is important to point out that safety improvement schemes will not be affected by these measures,” the department said.
The Department of Transport said there has been “no reduction to the overall capital funding available for national roads in 2024”. It added that it is committed to the continued maintenance and renewal of the existing road network.
However, IAPA executive director ­ Edmund Hegarty said the stance being taken by the Department of Transport is “deeply concerning”. “Their confirmation that the national roads maintenance programme can be so readily tapped to offset budget deficits in other capital programmes is highly unsatisfactory,” he said.
“This short-termism will come at a price – we will all pay as the condition of our national roads deteriorate countrywide as a result.
“Aside from the impact on road safety, seeing two-thirds of this year’s budget disappear from the pot overnight will only serve to impose much greater cost on the taxpayer down the line in getting our
national roads back to an acceptable and safe standard.”
The new Limerick to Foynes road will include 18km of motorway between Rathkeale and Patrickswell
and 16km of dual carriageway from Foynes to Rathkeale. The Government has ordered that the first
phase of the €500m project should start with the Adare Bypass, given the village will host the Ryder
Cup in 2027.