Ring announces €7 million for Mayo’s national roads

Ring announces €7 million for Mayo’s national roads


Neill O’Neill
neilloneill@mayonews.ie

MAYO’S national roads network received a cash injection of over €7 million yesterday, when Minister of State for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring, announced the annual NRA funding allocation for Mayo County Council for 2013. The money will be used mainly for maintenance, improvement works and safety projects, which should enhance some of the county’s roads in the months ahead.
Among the allocations is €300,000 for footpaths in Mulranny, where two young children were knocked down in 2011. A further €500,000 has been allocated for improvements on the N59 at Kilbride, outside Newport, with €1.2 million - the largest single amount in the county’s total allocation of €7,222,459 - assigned to progress further the works currently underway on the N59 between Westport and Mulranny.
A further €104,000 is allocated to the Charlestown bypass, with €200,000 assigned to the Westport to Turlough Road, plans for an upgrade to which are still alive but somewhat dormant at present, with a further €500,000 for another section of that same plan, for a new road between Turlough and Bohola.
“I’m delighted that funding is being provided to a number of key schemes in Mayo to improve road safety and overall road quality. Mayo will receive a total of €7 million, which I’m very pleased will include €1.2 million for works on the N59 from Westport to Mulranny,” said Minister Ring.
Another €2.35 million has been made available for work on 13 improvement schemes, while €175,000 will be used to undertake important road safety works at eight dangerous junctions or bends. The funding will also be used to continue planning work on the N5 Westport to Turlough road, and the N5/N26/N58 Turlough to Bohola road.
Minister Ring also explained that given the ongoing financial crisis, the amount of money that can be spent on road improvements has had to be scaled back.
“This €7 million will do much to maintain and improve the county’s road network in the year ahead, and will play an important role for local residents, businesses, and tourists,” he said.

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