By Eoin Ryan
Meath County Council has received €26 million in funding for national roads and greenways, €12 million of which specifically for the restoration of roads.
This is out of the €626 million announced by Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan last February which is being shared out nationwide. This is an increase of €20 million for road pavement and rehabilitation works last year.
A Bettystown to Laytown link road costing €4.5 million and upgrades to the R162 Navan to Kingscourt road totalling €700,000 are just two of the many projects planned this year.
“Our main priority in 2023 continues to be the protection and renewal of the existing regional and local road network because that is the one thing you don’t curtail,” Minister Thomas Byrne said. “It makes more sense to protect and repair our roads quickly rather than letting them fall into more expensive disrepair.
“This is positive news for all road users in county Meath. Unfortunately the road network has taken quite a battering over recent months with bad weather. This allocation of funding will go a long way in addressing these problems.”
€407,406 is for rural roads in Meath out of the €12.5million in funding across the country under the Local Improvement Scheme. The scheme began in 2017 and “over 3,700 roads have been funded for repair works,” according to Minister Heather Humphreys.
“We all know parts of rural Ireland that can be difficult to access because the road or laneway is in need of repair,” Humphreys said. “The Local Improvement Scheme is about making people’s lives that bit easier, ensuring we have good access to homes, farms and our local amenities.”
Meath South East News 