Limerick is to receive in excess of €1 million this year to go towards the maintenance and strengthening of regional and local roads in the county.
It is part of a €100 million package announced by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Paschal Donohoe this week. €60 million will go towards public transport and €4.2 million will be allocated to tourism related projects, including further devel-opment of Ireland’s Ancient East corridor and the Wild Atlantic Way.
€24 million is what is earmarked nationally for local roads, of which Limerick will receive €1,008,750, bringing the total allocated to the county for 2015 to over €18.3 million.
The minister also announced that 20% of the roads allo-cation can be used by local councils for Community Involvement Schemes, with 10% allowable for Local Improvement Schemes. Community Involvement Schemes facilitate a person, or groups of persons, with the consent of the road auth-ority, to carry out mainten-ance and improvement works on local roads. This allows community partici-pation, either in money or in kind (for example through the provision of road machinery, excavators, road building material, labour etc.) in having lightly trafficked roads maintained to a good standard.
The Local Improvement Scheme provides funding for roads and laneways that have not been taken in charge by the council, the maintenance and improve-ment of which is a matter for the relevant land owner.
In addition, approval can be sought from this extra allocation to fund urgent road safety projects which local authorities wish to progress this year.
The additional allocation has been welcomedby Deputies Patrick O’Donovan and Dan Neville.