Donegal North East TD Charlie McConalogue has appealed to the Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar to clearly state his position in relation to the A5 dual carriageway and reaffirm his commitment to the project.
Deputy McConalogue’s comments follow reports that Minister Varadkar’s has instructed the National Roads Authority to shelve major road projects for National Primary and Secondary routes in Co Donegal.
Deputy McConalogue said: “Donegal has been particularly badly hit by Minister Varadkar’s reported decision to scrap several major road projects nationwide.
“The N14 Letterkenny to Lifford and N15 Lifford to Ballybofey/Stranorlar and the Ballybofey/Stranorlar bypass are strategic links between North Western Donegal particularly from Letterkenny through Northern Ireland to Dublin.
“The previous Government committed €580 million to a roads investment package for Northern Ireland which would contribute to the upgrading of the A5 road from Aughnacloy to Derry to dual-carriageway status.
“We have already spent approximately €9 million on this project. This investment cannot be in vain. I am asking Minister Varadkar to reaffirm his commitment to this project.
“The 19km stretch of the N14 Letterkenny to Lifford road is integral to the development of the North West, particularly from a road safety perspective.
“This road, along with the other projects in the county, should be considered in a wider regional access context. The Minister’s recent decision has thrown a question mark on the A5 project, which is a crucial infrastructure project for the entire North West region.
“I want Minister Varadkar to clearly explain his Government’s position on this development, and outline in full their commitment to funding the project to ensure it is delivered on target for 2015.”
No-one from Fine Gael was available for comment.
Tags: