€94m for regional and local roads across Cork – O’Connor

Local Fianna Fáil TD James O’Connor has welcomed €94 million in funding for improving and maintaining Cork roads.

This is part of a significant investment package of €658m nationwide aimed at restoring the network which is essential for maintaining social and economic connectivity, linking people and places across the country. Central to this is the need to ensure that the journeys that people take are as predictable and as safe as possible.

Deputy O’Connor welcomes the €150,000 allocated for the R624 Cobh to Fota Road. This road project was apart of Deputy O’Connor’s 3-part deal in the emergency meeting held in October 2021 with An Taoiseach at the time, Michéal Martin, Minister for Public Expenditure at the time, Michael McGrath and the current Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan when seeking project support along with the Castlemartyr and Killeagh bypasses on the N25 as well as the N73 Clogher Cross to Waterdyke realignment scheme, which has now since been completed.

He said, “This is another step in the right direction to help advance the R624 project towards the route options selection and the design and environmental evaluation stages. The people of the Great Island and Cobh town cannot wait any longer for only one road in and out of the island. In the last few months, the road has been blocked following an incidents at Belvelly Bridge which in turn blocked access for emergency services.

“It is more imperative now than ever that the improvements continue to help the people of Cobh and the Great Island.”

Deputy O’Connor continued by saying  that he welcomes the improvement works to be completed across the county and his constituency of Cork East including in Youghal, Killeagh, Castlelyons, Rathcormac, Mitchelstown, Ballymaloe, Kildorrery, Conna and Clondulane.

“This funding is most welcome to help the safety and improvement works across the county.

“However, it is imperative that the Department of Transport follows up with the further emergency package of financial support of over €50 million to help Cork County Council recover the local and regional road infrastructure across East Cork. Several roads remain badly damaged or still remain closed four months on after Storm Babet. It is imperative that this decision arrives as soon as possible.”