Successful upgrading and maintenance of key sections of the N25 in East Cork should form essential parts of the road investment programme announced by the Government yesterday., says Cork East Fine Gael TD, David Stanton. The N25 from Cork to Rosslare Port was identified as one of the road projects due to receive funding this year under the Capital Expenditure Review.
“The N25 from Cork to Rosslare Port and is one the country’s major strategic routes. The N25 carries large volumes of industrial and commercial traffic from the Ports of Cork to Rosslare each day. The N25 forms part of the Trans European Network and its upgrading and continued maintenance is vital to our economic recovery.
“While there has been considerable investment in the N25 over the past 10 years, due to heavy traffic and adverse weather, some sections of the road are no longer of the standard that they should be. The N25 from Carrigtwohill to Midleton, in particular requires ongoing investment and maintenance as it serves all the heavy manufacturing and pharmaceutical industries around Little Island, Carrigtwohill and the surrounding East Cork area.
“Considerable work has been planned by the National Roads Authority for the N25 from Carrigtwohill to Midleton. The project involves the construction of a grade separated junction and a series of parallel roads which would eliminate all the existing direct access ways onto the N25. Despite the Government setting a completion date of June 2010 for this project, the harsh economic climate has meant that this project is now only at preliminary design stage.
“The NRA had also intended on a route change and upgrading of the N25 from Midleton to Youghal, including bypass options of Killeagh and Castlemartyr. These villages have grown substantially with a large influx of people moving into the many new housing estates constructed in the past 10 years. Traffic volumes have increased as a result and this traffic coupled with many heavy vehicles travelling from Waterford and Rosslare to Cork means that both Killeagh and Castlemarty experience severe bottlenecks during rush hours. These infrastructural problems need to be addressed.
“It is really very important that these road improvements, which were planned under the National Development Plan and Transport 21, are prioritised in the Government’s Capital Expenditure Review plan for the N25. This work would not only greatly improve road safety for all drivers, but would significantly reduce driving times along the N25 from Cork to Rosslare, thus enhancing our economic competitiveness and ability to attract industry to the East Cork area.
ENDS
Contact: David Stanton TD, Constituency Office, Tel: 021 463867
