Meath East roads will be improved under funding initiative

Fine Gael Meath East Bye-election candidate, Helen McEntee, has today (Friday) said that significant improvements to the local road network will be carried out in the constituency under a funding initiative announced by the Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar TD.

Minister Varadkar has announced a new initiative for rural roads which will allow Meath County Council to use almost €1.7 million to carry out emergency repairs on local and regional roads across the county. Separately, Meath County Council will be provided with more than €105,000 for drainage works on the worst affected local roads.

“The poor condition of roads in rural parts of Meath East is not only causing a real headache for local residents, they are also a serious safety concern. It’s like driving on the moon on many of the back roads between Kells and Nobber, and I pleased that Minister Varadkar has now taken action to give Meath County Council and other local authorities the flexibility to deal with this problem.

“I understand that Kells Area representatives met with Minister Varadkar recently to voice their concerns on the roads issue, and they have clearly been listened to. Local authorities will be able to use up to 30% of the Restoration Improvement Grant to carry out emergency works. For Meath, this means up to €1.7 million can be used to carry out emergency works.

“Drainage is also a serious problem in many parts of Meath East, with surface water causing huge potholes on many of our smaller rural roads. Minister Varadkar is addressing this problem by creating a new €2.7 million fund for drainage works; Meath County Council will benefit from €105,000 from this pot of funding. I understand the IFA is in on-going discussions with the local authority about taking a joint approach to the drainage problem, which is very welcome.

“The works that will be carried out as a result of this funding should make a real difference to the people of Meath East, who should be able to go about their daily business without having to navigate potholes and difficult surfaces. At a time when funding is very restricted, I think we need to focus our efforts on maintaining the roads we have and keep them in as high a standard as possible.

“It is worth bearing in mind that neither Fianna Fáil or Sinn Féin provided for any additional investment in our roads network in their recent pre-Budget submissions. Under Fianna Fáil’s 4 Year Plan, which would have run until next year, capital expenditure on our roads network was due to fall below current levels.

“I am delighted this funding has been made available by Minister Varadkar, and I would urge Meath County Council to access it as quickly as possible, so vital road improvements can be carried out without delay.”