1,340km of North Dublin roads ignored by Department of Transport – Farrell

Local roads in Fingal have been ignored in the 2018 Regional and Local Road Grant Allocations made by the Department of Transport, a Fine Gael TD has said.

2018 grant allocations were made to local authorities in respect of the maintenance and improvement of regional and local roads.

Fine Gael TD Alan Farrell said: “Once again the Department of Transport has ignored rural County Dublin.

“This week Fingal County Council has confirmed to me that within the Fingal Area there are 65km of National Roads including Motorways, 264km of Regional Roads and 1011km of Local Roads.

“Over the last number of years Fingal County Council has not received any maintenance support from the Department.

“The maintenance of regional and local roads is provided for directly by Fingal County Council members and funded by the local property tax.

“I find the Department of Transports ignorance of rural North Dublin to be wholly unacceptable.

“Our smaller communities, including Ballyboughal, Garristown, Oldtown, and the Naul, can no longer be forgotten in the context of supporting rural Ireland.

Fingal is home to a substantial rural community, and is important to our national economy, particularly in the agri-food sector with such a large proportion of Ireland’s fresh produce coming from the North County.

“These roads are used by families every day and are essential for connecting people locally.

“It is essential that our infrastructure is capable of meeting the demands of our expanding economy which is why Fingal can no longer be ignored,” the Fine Gael TD said.