John Paul O'Shea
Question:115. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Transport the funding that has been allocated for national and regional roads in Cork for 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1247/26]
View answerThursday, 15 January 2026
Questions (115)
Written answers
I want to thank the Deputy for his question.
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 those roads are funded from Councils' own resources supplemented by State road grants.
€713 million was allocated to Regional and Local Road Grants in 2025, with approximately 90% of this funding being directed towards maintenance and renewal works. This represents an overall increase of over 8% in funding on 2024.
In 2025, Cork City Council received an allocation of €11,762,000 for the maintenance and improvement of its regional and local roads network of which over €11m was allocated to road protection and renewal. The 2025 allocation included funding for one Strategic Regional and Local Roads Scheme: Clontarf Bridge Upgrade.
In 2025, Cork County Council received an allocation of €82,838,900 for the maintenance and improvement of its regional and local roads network of which over €79m was allocated to road protection and renewal. The 2025 allocation including funding for two Strategic Regional and Local Roads Schemes; the Great Island Connectivity Scheme (R624 Cobh Road); and the Midleton North Eastern Transport Corridor; and seven Specific Improvement Grant Schemes. Cork County Council also received an allocation of €6.8m for the repairs to the network from the impacts of severe weather events.
As regards 2026, grant allocations will be notified to local authorities in the coming weeks. The main focus of the grants will continue to be the protection and renewal of the network.
In 2025, approximately €71 million in exchequer capital funding was allocated to Cork County Council for National Roads, which was an increase in funding of €20 million over 2024 levels.
This was made up of €15m for protection and renewal of the existing network and €55m for the construction of new roads which includes funding for the M28 Cork to Ringaskiddy project and Mallow Relief Road. This enabled the Cork to Ringaskiddy project construction to progress on site with significant earthworks completed and the Mallow Relief road to progress towards business case and and planning application preparation.
Approximately €1.5m was allocated to Cork City Council for the protection and renewal of National Roads in the city, as well as approximately €400,000 for current maintenance.
As Minister, I have overall responsibility for the allocation of exchequer funding for National Roads. As part of the annual allocations process for National Roads, TII prepare an allocations booklet listing funding for each project in the coming year. This is based on the ongoing prioritisation process which takes place between TII and local authorities. Allocations for national roads in 2026 will be announced in the coming weeks.