Road Projects Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-29 ============================================================ Michael Moynihan (FF), Cork North-West I thank Senator Gallagher for his question. I welcome the opportunity to speak to the House on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy O'Brien. I understand the question relates to the provision of additional funding for road maintenance due to the rising cost of materials. The Government is strongly committed to protecting our existing road network. The improvement and maintenance of our regional and local roads are the responsibility of local authorities. Funding for such improvements and maintenance is provided through council resources and the State's road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of work that is funded is a matter for the local authority concerned. The vast majority of grants provided are targeted at the maintenance and renewal of the existing road network, with the remainder invested in new roads, bridges and road realignment. There has been a significant increase in Exchequer funding in recent years, with €718 million provided for our regional and local roads this year. This will facilitate an increase of €26 million for road protection and renewal work. Due to the level of use of our regional and local road network, the primary focus of investment is on protection and renewal because these roads play a critical role in supporting economic activity and community links throughout the country. There are three main regional and local road grant programmes that account for most of the grant funding available to local authorities. First, there is the restoration maintenance grant for pavement sealing works to protect the road surface from water damage. Second, the restoration improvement grant supports road strengthening works to lengthen the life of the road. Third, the discretionary grant allows for a range of activities, including pothole repairs, edge strengthening, renewal of signs and lines and winter maintenance. The level of funding allocated for each of these is based on the length of the road network within a local authority area. It should also be noted that Exchequer funding for regional and local roads is intended to supplement realistic contributions from local authorities' own resources. As the statutory road authorities for their areas, it is open to local authorities to prioritise investment towards regional and local roads. The Senator raised the issue of funding arrangements that have been put in place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII. Under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015 and in line with our national development plan, the planning, design, improvement and upgrading of individual national roads is a matter for TII. We have had many briefings in the past couple of weeks, particularly since the outbreak of war. A lot of local authorities have been looking at their budgets and the escalating cost of the contracts. They are concerned about the impact the rise in oil prices may have on contract prices and the outputs in that regard. When it comes to increasing funding, the Government and the Department are continuously looking at the effects increased oil prices are having on every aspect of our society. We have put in place over €750 million of funding to help people who are severely affected by oil prices, but the Senator's point about additional funding is one I will take back to the Department of Transport. It is one Monaghan County Council and every other local authority have been raising with us because they are seriously concerned that their programme for 2026 may not be reached as a result of the increased cost of some of the contracts. It is concerning. Obviously, the ongoing war in the Middle East is hugely concerning. It is affecting all of our lives and we have to make the best possible decisions in order to future-proof. We do not know how long the war will continue. I will respond further in my closing comments. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-04-29/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:52+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-04-29