Wexford roads to be surfaced as part of new €10.6 million scheme for road maintenance- Kehoe

WEXFORD’S Minister of State Paul Kehoe TD today has welcomed details of a new pilot Community Involvement Scheme for works on local roads which will see €398,8130 allocated to County Wexford through the Community Involvement Scheme (CIS) announced today.

Speaking today about this pilot scheme Minister Kehoe said:

“I am delighted that this funding over two years the maintenance and improvement of Wexford’s local roads network. This represents a new and innovative reform of our road maintenance system and work with a total value of over €14 million can now be carried out at a cost to the taxpayer of €10.6 million with the balance being contributed by the local community.

“In the normal course of Wexford County Council’s road works programme, repairs to minor county roads would only be considered towards the end of the programme after more heavily trafficked routes had been dealt with and the purpose of this pilot community involvement scheme is to permit local participation in the repair of roads”.

“In this way, if there are particular problems affecting a given stretch of road and if the local community are willing to assist the local authority (in money or kind) with the necessary works, then such roads can be improved sooner than would otherwise be the case. As such, the scheme recognises local community involvement in this area, without in any way taking from the statutory responsibilities of county councils.

“Wexford County Council will ask communities to come up with a portion of the cost of road maintenance either through funding, labour provision, machinery supply or other forms of benefit.

“This funding is then being added to the Department of Transport’s spend to prioritise maintenance in rural isolated areas and will allow communities have a direct input along with their local authority into local road maintenance.

“This pilot Community Involvement in Road Works Scheme is purely a voluntary scheme and is available to give local communities the opportunity to have these works completed where they would not normally be considered for funding”.

Nationally the CIS will comprise of:

€10.6 million to be provided over 2 years in 2013 and 2014
Work to be undertaken at 377 locations
Over 240 kms of roads to be improved