REGIONAL and Local Roads in Offaly are set to benefit from funding of almost €9 million. The Department of Transport has allocated €8,886,699 to roads in the county.
Grace O'Dea reports
Offaly County Council is set to received €8,496,699, Birr Town Council, €195,000 and Tullamore Town Council, €195,000.
Figures show that allocations for Tullamore Town Council have increased by 55% compared with last year's
revised allocation of €126,00 while Birr Town Council's allocation has increased 10% on last years funding. Allocations for 2009 were slashed by 28% in April of last year after a revision by the Department of Transport.
n325,00 has been allocated for Phase 2 and Phase 4 of the new link road in Banagher while €100,00 has been allocated to Cloneygowan bypass.
Specific improvement grants totalling €175,000 have been allocated for bridges at Cloncreen, Clonkeen, Borniess. Derryad, Derrygolan, Mullaghmahery, Killoughey, Moneyguyneen, Polduff, Drumbane, Kilcolgan, Blackwater and Ballynacarrig.
€30,000 has been allocated under low cost safety improvement grants at both Ballyfore crossroads and Rhode bridge, €50,00 for the Hill road in Banagher, €55,000 in Shinrone, €15,000 for Enaghan in Walsh Island, €10,000 for works at Toberleheen, and €5000 each for Five roads and the Derries, Edenderry.
Meanwhile footpaths allocations will see works carried out on footpaths in Francis Street (€13,333), Francis Street/Gilroy Avenue (€20,000), Blundell Wood (€20,000), Carrick road (€26,667), Dublin Road (€26,667) and JKL Street (€37,333).
In welcoming the announcement, the Taoiseach said the overall allocation represents an average investment of €34m per month on Ireland's regional and local roads.
Cllr Noel Bourke has welcomed the funding, in particular the allocation to Rhode bridge. "This matter has been raised on a number of occasions at meeting of Rhode Fianna Fail Cumann and I'm glad to have been in a position to pursue it."
Meanwhile he said the overall funding would go a long way towards putting right the "very serious harm done to roads during the bad weather of the past few months."
Cllr Sinead Moylan-Ryan also welcomed the allocations, in particular the funding for a roundabout at the Hill in Banagher. She said the council must now use the funding to the best advantage.
"It is vital that Offaly County Council make the best use possible of this funding that is allocated to supplement to their expenditure. Given the damage to roads following the recent bad weather it is important that Offaly County Council carefully assess their planned road programmes for this coming year."
Cllr Danny Owens has also welcomed the allocation. "It's great to see Tullamore Town Council's allocation increasing by 10%. This will go a long way to improving roads in and around the town."
