On the doorsteps Equipping to compete 
Infrastructure
Sean Rice seanrice@mayonews.ie Infrastructure is an avenue to prosperity. The quality of its roads, its water, its sewerage system, its general communication services, determine the economic growth of a community.
On the doorsteps, infrastructure will be among the most frequent questions asked of candidates. Already the subject features high on the list of complaints among the electorate.
Local authorities in Mayo have served the community well in the provision of improved roads, water and sanitation services. But they depend on central government for the finance to have their schemes implemented.
In the run-up to the Election the Government has already made numerous announcements for an update of the county’s general infrastructure. Ireland West Airport Knock is to benefit to the tune of €27 million. The Lough Mask Regional Water Supply Scheme is to be extended to Westport and Louisburgh at a cost of close on €34m.
Sewerage schemes in Roundfort, Geesala and Achill are all in the pipeline, so to speak. An update of the system is under way in Castlebar. An allocation of €19 million has been made available for a rural water programme in Mayo.
Dáil deputy John Carty has welcomed €70 million provided for road projects all over the county, while his erstwhile Fianna Fáil colleague Beverley Flynn denounces the Government for its €500 million unspent roads money in the west.
Ignored, she says, are the N5, the N26, the Northern Relief Road in Westport town, the Ballinrobe by-pass, the Ballyhaunis by-pass, the Castlebar-Claremorris Road, the Ballinrobe-Shrule Road and the Castlebar orbital route.
In The Mayo News of February 7, 2001, Michael Duffy wrote that the proposed new road linking Castlebar and Westport could be completed by late 2005 if all the stages set down by Mayo County Council were reached. The National Roads Authority had approved of the plans and the next step was to have been the imminent issue of compulsory purchase orders for the lands in question. Prior to the election of 2002, a candidate told Mid West Radio that the CPOs would issue immediately after the election.
Five years on and the work is farther away than ever. The N5 is not in the immediate plans of the NRA, according to Michael Homes of the Western Roads Action Committee, who led a delegation to the NRA last month. As a result, development lands close to the route remain ‘sterilised’.
Sean Hannick, chairman of the Council for the West, said the completion of the N5 was the most urgent piece of infrastructure needed. Proper access to the county was vital for economic development.
He said that while the Charlestown by-pass was under way, the Ballaghaderreen project and the extensions to Castlebar and Ballina were equally urgent. There was no shortage of money, but the NRA were concentrating on places like the M50 which, even when completed, would not be sufficient to carry the volume of traffic. “The fact that €500 million was underspent on roads in the west indicates where their priorities lie.”
While it will be some time before gas flows from the Corrib field, Sean Hannick expects to see gas from the national grid come to Castlebar and Westport later this year. Another critical issue is the rollout of broadband. According to Deputy John Carty, the facility is already widely available in Mayo, and the Government has a commitment to advance rollout to all rural areas . . . by encouraging commercial operators to deliver the service.
Yet, people living along the N5 between Castlebar and Westport have still to receive the facility. It is a big issue in many areas, said Sean Hannick, and a big drawback.
He said the allocation of €27m to Knock Airport was to be welcomed. The airport was one of the best developments to have taken place and he would now like to see the introduction of an air service between Knock and Dublin, for which there was a big demand. He also welcomed a decision by Iarnród Éireann to commence a commuter service between Ballina and Westport later this year.
But can anyone be other than sceptical about any new initiative undertaken by Iarnród Éireann in the west when only last week the train from Dublin to Westport was delayed for an hour near Roscommon while passengers almost froze in the carriages?
In response ...
Michael Ring FG “The completion of the N5 and the N26, and the construction of inner relief roads for Castlebar and Westport are of critical importance to Mayo. If Fine Gael get into Government the Ballaghaderreen by-pass and the N5 from Longford will be attended to immediately. That road from Longford is a disgrace. You get caught up behind a vehicle and you cannot pass it in safety.
“If you were to draw a line across the map from Galway you will see that all the major road developments are in the east of the country. Once again the west has been left behind, and Mayo in particular, because we have no minister at the cabinet table to fight for us. The provision of roads is just as important to the people of Mayo as they are to those living in the east of the country.
Dara Calleary FF “The completion of the first phase of the N26 has made an enormous difference to Ballina. We have been waiting in north Mayo for over 30 years for a proper road to reflect the confidence in our area. The second phase is going to CPO next year and I will not rest until I see the road built.
“Five years ago there was not a word about broadband. Now, it is a big issue. I have always claimed broadband is more important than roads. With it, people can work from home. I have a particular interest in broadband and it is an issue in which I am going to get deeply involved.”
