Mattie McGrath pushes for N25/N24 funding for Waterford route
Mattie McGrath spoke on 2025-03-04 about a road improvement project linking Waterford, Ross Lear and the Fines and urged that the project be kept alive and progressed. He pressed the minister for attention to local safety and funding while outlining recent allocations and next steps.
He described the scheme as an important route from Waterford, Ross Lear to the Fines, passing through towns and villages in Tipperary and Kilkenny and Port Lonergan. He said the project has already progressed and urged that limited funds be used to keep the stages moving so the scheme can advance.
He thanked the minister for engagement with Councillor Murray, himself and Deputy Murphy in South Tipperary and raised local issues, including the former Water National School in Cundibod, Lonergan and the need for a badly, badly needed traffic cam. He noted that local representatives and an action group have been involved and that Deputies present were aware of the locations mentioned.
He recalled that 4.8 million was allocated in 2024 for the area and that on 14th February recent regional and local roads allocations included 23.6 million euro for Waterford. He said the whole network in question is about 60 kilometres and requires significant funding, with many competing projects within this year’s programme.
He reported that he had recently received a draft submission which he will review in detail and that he expects announcements in the coming weeks. He invited Deputies and local groups to forward correspondence and said he would interact with the action group referenced.
Project and call for funding
He described the scheme as an important route from Waterford, Ross Lear to the Fines, passing through towns and villages in Tipperary and Kilkenny and Port Lonergan. He said the project has already progressed and urged that limited funds be used to keep the stages moving so the scheme can advance.
Local concerns and stakeholders
He thanked the minister for engagement with Councillor Murray, himself and Deputy Murphy in South Tipperary and raised local issues, including the former Water National School in Cundibod, Lonergan and the need for a badly, badly needed traffic cam. He noted that local representatives and an action group have been involved and that Deputies present were aware of the locations mentioned.
Funding and recent allocations
He recalled that 4.8 million was allocated in 2024 for the area and that on 14th February recent regional and local roads allocations included 23.6 million euro for Waterford. He said the whole network in question is about 60 kilometres and requires significant funding, with many competing projects within this year’s programme.
Next steps and ministerial follow-up
He reported that he had recently received a draft submission which he will review in detail and that he expects announcements in the coming weeks. He invited Deputies and local groups to forward correspondence and said he would interact with the action group referenced.
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Transcript
Minister, thank you for your engagement in this evening, only with Councillor Murray, myself, and indeed Deputy Murphy in South Tipperary. Look, this project has gone so far, and it's small money, really, the overall context, to keep it alive, to have the stages at now to progress. It's a huge important route from Waterford, Ross Lear, to right up the Fines, and including all the towns and villages, passing through in Tipperary and Kilkenny and, indeed, Port Lonergan. And I want to support my colleagues, because my palace is talking about the former Water National School in Cundibod, Lonergan, and badly, badly needed traffic cam, an excellent school, excellent students. And I'm glad that Deputy Cunair knows where it is. Go to the market. Look, I'm aware of how important this is. We'll have National Roads announcements in the coming weeks. I would just say that, sorry, that if we look at 2024, I've already mentioned we had 4.8 million allocated there. If you look at just recently, just two weeks ago, 14th of February, I think it was, the regional and local roads allocations, 23.6 million euro for Waterford as well. I am aware of, obviously, the importance of the N25 and, indeed, the N24, which Deputy McGrath has mentioned there too, and which I've spoken directly to him on. That's, look, a very significant road improvement scheme. When you look at the whole network, about 60 kilometres there. It requires significant funding to move this on. There will be many competing projects within this year's programme too. But I've just very recently, and I say within the last few days, received a draft submission, which I intend to review and review in detail. And I expect to make announcements in the coming weeks in this regard, specifically in relation to the action group that you mentioned, Deputy Cunairn. If you want to forward any correspondence that you have to me, I'd be happy to interact with them. Thank you. Thank you.