Fine Gael Senator and Leader of Seanad Éireann has welcomed the allocation of €1,250,000 in funding to assist the repair of regional and local roads in Cork.

Senator Buttimer said: “Many of the regional and local roads in Cork have suffered significant damage as a result of severe weather events and in some cases our City and County Councils have been faced with damage caused by repeated severe weather incidents.

“Extreme weather events over the last year, such as Storm Eleanor, Storm Emma, flooding incidents and the summer drought have had a major impact on the regional and local road network.

“These events combined with the extended period of reduced funding for road maintenance following the economic downturn have left the road network much more vulnerable to damage.

“I know this funding will greatly assist in the repairs and ensure our road network in Cork is of the highest standard,” Senator Buttimer concluded.

In addition, a €3m allocation is being provided to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to assist with winter operations and maintenance works on national roads. TII assists local authorities with maintenance funding for national roads.
Minister for Transport Shane Ross said: “This additional funding boosts the regional and local road budget in 2018 from €417m to €432m which represents an increase of 33% on the 2017 investment.

“These grants are to supplement local authorities’ own resources and expenditure on regional and local road and are just part of the total investment in regional and local roads for this year.”