Kilkenny community left angry at 'empty promises' as N25 funding saga goes on
The comments were made by Sinn Fein TD for Carlow-Kilkenny, Natasha Newsome Drennan
Sinn Féin TD for Carlow-Kilkenny, Natasha Newsome Drennan has hit out at 'empty promises' made by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael public representatives as the cries for funding on the N25 Waterford to Glenmore Road project get louder and louder from the local community.
The Mullinavat native has told Kilkenny Live that following a reply she received from both the Minister for Transport and Transport Infrastructure Ireland, no funding has been committed to the project.
As a result, Deputy Newsome Drennan says The N25 Waterford to Glenmore Road project has been 'put on indefinite hold'.
"The N25 road is one of the deadliest roads in the State. We are seeing consistent traffic accidents along the road; tragically, there have been several fatal crashes," the Carlow-Kilkenny TD stated.
"This is devastating local families and the community. I have raised the issue in the Dáil, only to see it dismissed with vague replies.
"The Minister outlined to me that he is responsible for overall project funding, but the planning, design, and construction of individual national roads is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), in conjunction with the local authorities," she continued.
"It was also shocking to see that over €600,000 in funding allocated for the road was not used, and no funding has been allocated since 2022, despite the high number of crashes along this road.
"We are seeing a growing trend from Government Backbenchers, telling communities that they have gotten an assurance or commitment from a Minister that funding will be put in place," Ms Drennan claimed.
"But these assurances are nowhere to be seen when put directly to the Minister. We’ve seen this trend growing from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael locally, and nationally, with reducing student fees being one of the latest empty promises.
"These empty promises are an insult to the public.
They chip away at people's faith in politics. We need to see our public representatives be honest with the local community about funding for projects. We need to see an end to the empty promises," the Sinn Fein TD concluded.