'These roads have to be done': Taoiseach to talk to minister as solution urged for Kilkenny ‘lifeline’

The Taoiseach has said he will engage with the Minister for Transport regarding the long-awaited N24 Waterford to Cahir project.

The safety scheme for the road which runs through South Kilkenny was raised recently in both the Dáil and Seanad.
Senator Patricia Stephenson noted that, over the past three years in both Carlow and Kilkenny, there have been nearly as many fatalities due to traffic incidences as the six years before the pandemic.

“Behind all of these numbers are lives and families that have been destroyed and utterly shattered,” she said.
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“It is seriously concerning that we are seeing an increase in the number of needless road deaths. We did so well. We made so many improvements and it feels like we are going back to a darker time. Something has to be done to stop this trend.”

The Social Democrats representative flagged a number of roads in the two local counties where there are ongoing safety concerns. 

“The N78 going through Castlecomer is another dangerous road,” she said. “In particular, the N24 in south Kilkenny near Glenmore, is an incredibly dangerous stretch of road. It is one of the worst roads in the country, yet funding for improvements on that road has still been delayed and stalled in the last NDP round.”

In the Dáil, Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath described the N24 as ‘an essential piece of infrastructure’ for Tipperary, Waterford, Kilkenny and the whole South-East region. READ NEXT: PICTURES: Kilkenny Hockey Club ladies host Women's Day event in aid of Amber Women's Refuge

“Over the past 20 years, €10.7 million of public money has been spent already on scoping, assessments and everything else,” he said.

“Without sufficient allocation for Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, that investment will be wasted and the project will stall yet again. While last year’s national development sectoral plan included a welcome commitment to progressing this project, it is now time to turn commitment to delivery.

“Kilkenny County Council is the lead authority but the N24 is a lifeline for the entire region, connecting Waterford and Limerick to the ports at Foynes and Rosslare and supporting thousands of daily commuters, freight users and local communities.”

Taoiseach Micheal Martin agreed on the road’s importance, and said he would engage with the council, and talk to the minister to ask him what his plans are for the N24.

"The human impact is key but, as the Deputy said, it is also economically important in terms of people, mobility, tourism, freight and the movement of goods and services," said the Taoiseach.

"They are extremely important. I think the Deputy said Kilkenny County Council is the lead council and we will engage with it on this. I do not have the full programme in front of me and I am not in a position to outline the specific details of the programme of funding the Minister will announce. I also note the Deputy's praise of the officials in Tipperary County Council. He clearly has a positive and constructive relationship with them on roads and so on.

"These roads have to be done. Therefore, anything we can do to get them through the statutory process, we should do. Otherwise it can go on forever. At least if we get to the planning permission stage, there is a clear map ahead. Often a lot of the delays are in the design and planning permitting stages of a project. I will talk to the Minister to see what we can do about this."