Emerging trends in infrastructure
infrastructure and construction report
Transport and the National Development Plan Transport is the sector that will receive the second highest amount of gross voted capital allocation over the first five years of the newly revised National Development Plan (NDP), receiving €13 billion from 2021 to 2025. eolas examines the projects that this central finance will fund. Of the five projects within the newly revised NDP stated as having an estimated cost category of F (over €1 billion), two fall within the transport sector: the programme for regional and local road protection and renewal and the delivery of the MetroLink mass rapid transit rail line. The renewal and protection of regional and local roads is an annual programme of works whose estimated cost category of over €1 billion is given for the period 2021-2025. The NDP states that the highest priority for this investment is to “maintain the asset through the protection and renewal of the network of some 96,000km”. The investment is to be delivered through targeted Department of Transport funding to local authorities covering areas such as: restoration maintenance; restoration improvement; discretionary works such as repairs and routine maintenance; drainage works; climate adaptation and resilience works; safety related works; training; and winter maintenance. In addition to maintenance works, the improvement of the local and regional road network is also said to be a priority of the NDP, with projects completed
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thus far including the Sallins Bypass, the Bettystown to Laytown regional road, the Portlaoise Southern Distributor Road and the Daingean Uí Chúis Relief Road. The Carrigaline Western Relief Road and the Coonagh to Knockalisheen project are currently under construction, while construction is due to begin on a number of projects such as the Tralee Northern Relief Road, the Shannon Crossing/Killaloe Bypass and the Athy Southern Distributor Road. The National Roads Programme contains 39 road-building projects, some of which are currently under construction, some still awaiting further approvals. These include projects the length and width of the State such as the N56 from An Clochán Liath to Glenties, the N22 from Baile Bhúirne to Macroom, the M20 Cork to Limerick, the N6 Galway City Ring Road, the N4 Mullingar to Longford, the M4 Leixlip to Maynooth, the M11 capacity enhancement and the N11/N25 Oilgate to Rosslare Harbour. The second of the category F transport projects, the MetroLink, is less clear in the plans included in the NDP. Its current status is given as being in the
