Council officer raises concerns about transport document

Council concerned over future funding for local road network


Anton McNulty

A SENIOR official with Mayo County Council believes a document circulated by the Department of Transport could have an impact on funding for Mayo roads if its contents become policy in the future.
The Strategic Framework for Investment in Land Transport, which was circulated to officials and members of the Roads and Transportation SPC, discussed investment in infrastructure  and submissions by each local authority.

Denied
Director of Services Paddy Mahon told last week’s meeting that the council had asked the department for an extension for submissions but was denied, and he encouraged councillors to make submissions as soon as possible.
Mr Mahon said the document indicated that investment would be driven by ‘demographic trends’, which he believes means ‘east of the Shannon and east of the Liffey’.
He said that from reading the document there will be less money for local roads, which he said accounts for 5,000km of Mayo’s road network.

‘Dramatic effect’
“It is effectively saying that the ongoing investment in roads […] will not be as good in the future as in the past. There are a couple of important aspects, but they are buried in it [the document], but if they become policy they could have a dramatic effect on the area,” he explained.
The council, he said, had already submitted a submission to the department, citing Mayo’s peripheral location as a major concern and arguing that there should be ‘positive discrimination’ for areas like Co Mayo.
Mr Mahon explained that €40 million was spent on roads in Mayo this year but that only €2.5 million came from the council’s own resources. The remainder came from State grants, he said, adding that any adjustment of funding could have a significant impact on the county.
In relation to ongoing projects in the county, Mr Mahon said the N5 road from Westport to Turlough was back on track.
He explained that new plans for the N26 from Swinford to Ballina were being worked upon, and that it should proceed to the CPO stage in the New Year.
Michael Moran of the Westport Chamber of Commerce, who sits on the SPC, said accessibility into the county was very important for employment and investment into the county.