Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 January 2026
109. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Transport if he will travel to Donegal and meet with locally elected councillors to learn at firsthand about the serious traffic management crisis in Letterkenny impacting the people of and visitors to Donegal, and the proposed local roads infrastructure projects that can address this crisis. [1398/26]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on these roads are funded from Councils’ own resources and supplemented by State Road grants. Of these grants, the vast majority (approximately 90%) are targeted at the maintenance and renewal of the network with c. 10% of the remaining funding invested in new roads/bridges or for road realignments.
It is important to highlight that any new road projects that seek State funding are assessed by the Department on a case-by-case basis. All projects proposed by local authorities for consideration must comply with the requirements of the Infrastructure Guidelines (formerly the Public Spending Code) and the Department's Transport Appraisal Framework. Given the limited funding available for regional and local road improvement works it is important for local authorities to prioritise projects within their overall area of responsibility with these requirements in mind.
The Letterkenny Southern Network Project aims to develop the transport network around the South of Letterkenny town, to provide connectivity from Letterkenny to West Donegal, improve traffic congestion, support compact growth, and encourage modal shift. The scheme received an allocation of €300,000 in 2025 to progress the scheme through the options selection stage. The planning and implementation of the project is the responsibility of Donegal County Council.
Regional and local road grant allocations for 2026 will be notified to local authorities in the coming weeks.
In 2025, approximately €18.8 million in exchequer funding was allocated for the National Road Network in Donegal. Included in this was an allocation of approximately €2 million for the Donegal TEN-T Priority Route Improvement Project. As part of this, three sections of the road network in Donegal have been prioritised for improvement, including the N56/N13 Letterkenny to Manorcunningham road. This will greatly improve road safety on the approach to Letterkenny.
This project received Government Approval in Principle at Gate 1 of the Infrastructure Guidelines in July 2024. The remaining Design and Environmental Evaluation Phase deliverables are being finalised. The submission of the scheme to An Coimisiún Pleanála is now anticipated in the first part of this year. The Donegal TEN-T Project is among those projects listed in the Sectoral Investment Plan for Transport.
Allocations for national roads in 2026 will be announced in the coming weeks.
