Outlook is bleak for improving county roads
A SIGNIFICANT drop in funding for Kerry County Council under the government's National Roads Programme will mean that maintenance of the county's roads will have to be cut back in 2010.
Figures announced by the Department of Transport on Monday show that Kerry County Council is to receive €18.8 million for work on its national roads programme this year, just €1.825 million of which has been set aside for maintenance work.
This figure represents a drop of almost €300,000 on last year's allocation, which is likely to have a major impact on the maintenance of the county's main roads in 2010.
Kerry County Council spokesperson, Padraig Corkery, said that the reduced allocation for maintenance work on the county's national roads is disappointing but insisted that the council is still grateful for the government's overall allocation of €18.8 million under its national roads Programme 2010.
Over €17 million of that funding has been earmarked for the improvement of the county's national road network, with further grants due to be announced for local and regional roads in the coming weeks.
Until this allocation is confirmed, however, Kerry County council is not in a position to say how much money will be set aside for repair and maintenance works and other costs associated with the recent bad weather.
At the council's budget meeting in January, it emerged that close to €2 million will have to be recouped from Kerry County Council's 2010 roads budget to cover the cost of the council's response to the big freeze of the past number of weeks.
During the severe weather started, Kerry Councty Council's salting operations were working continuously for over a month, spreading 3,500 tonnes in all on the roads. This, combined with transporting salt into and around the county, the gritting operation and staff overtime, will result in a bill of at least €2 million.
At the time, Ger McNamara of the council's roads department comfirmed that the majority of that funding will have to be taken from the council's 2010 allocation for roads funding.
On a positive note, however, this week's figures from the Department of Tranport saw an allocation of €10 million for the completion of the Castleisand bypass — the only national road project to be approved in Kerry last year.
The latest department figures confirm the allocation of €10 million for the 5km bypass project, which is due for completion in 2011.
- MARISA REIDY mreidy@kerryman.ie
