This is a subscriber-only article
Rural roads will not receive any additional funding for repairs, despite the weather extremes witnessed in 2018.
Responding to a parliamentary question from Fianna Fáil deputy Niamh Smyth, Minister for Transport Shane Ross stated: “All grant funding available to my Department has been allocated.”
No indication that additional funding will be made available to my Department
“I have been liaising with Minister [for Finance] Paschal Donohoe, most recently in early August, regarding the provision of additional funding to further assist local authorities in the repair of roads affected by severe weather events over last winter, but, to date, there is no indication that additional funding will be made available to my Department.”
The news will come as a disappointment to many rural residents who often report navigating near-treacherous road conditions, given surface deterioration after snow and flooding in the early half of the year.
Minister Ross reiterated that it was the responsibility of each county council to decide the levels of funding they wanted to put aside for road repairs.
SHARING OPTIONS: