Cork Chamber Calls for Government to Assist Vital Road Maintenance Works

16th June 2010

Emergency funding required to safeguard road infrastructure

Cork Chamber has today (16 June 2010) called on the Government to redress the significant decline in National and Non-national Road Allocations granted to Cork City and County Councils. Since 2008, the allocation for the maintenance of Cork City's local and regional roads has fallen by 30%. During this same period, the Cork region has endured a succession of extreme weather conditions which are now eroding the fabric of the county's road infrastructure.

Kevin Murray, Chairman of Cork Chamber's Transport and Infrastructure Committee, outlined his concerns regarding the cuts to road maintenance budgets. "While Cork Chamber is supportive of the need to reduce costs across all areas of public spending, we believe that cuts to road maintenance funding are essentially a false economy. By saving money now we are only leaving roads worsen and decay to a point of structural failure. Such under-funding of maintenance will only necessitate a far greater level of future investment in order to restore the standing of our roads to previous levels".

"Our economy depends very much on an efficient road infrastructure that facilitates the timely movement of people and goods. Investing now will save the tax and rate-payers of this region from the burden of improving a neglected road infrastructure in years to come. This is where real savings can be made. The cost of repairing collapsed roads is significantly more than the cost of maintaining them. One has to remember that Cork has the largest network of roads in the country, with over 11,000km of National and Non-national roads".

Mr Murray concluded by calling for the Government to equip local authorities with the funds to complete road maintenance works, "We commend local authorities for doing their utmost to maintain the integrity of our roads despite the inadequate resources available to them. We now call on the Department of Transport to make available additional funds so that these much needed road maintenance works can be completed before next winter".

For more information please contact:
Kevin Murray, Chairman, Cork Chamber Transport & Infrastructure Committee, tel (086) 8148510
Lucy O'Donoghue, Membership Development & P.R. Manager, Cork Chamber, tel (021) 4509044
Alma Murnane, Policy & Research Manager, Cork Chamber, tel (021) 4530147

National Road Grant Allocations to Local Authorities, 2008-10

Local Authority - Cork City Council

Year: 2008 - Maintenance: €2,746,000
Year 2009 - Maintenance: €2,384,300
Year 2010 - Maintenance: €2,499,300

Change: -9%

Local Authority - Cork County Council

Year: 2008 - Maintenance: €4,220,851
Year 2009 - Maintenance: €3,505,429
Year 2010 - Maintenance: €2,609,000

Change: -38.19%

Non-National Road Grant Allocations to Local Authorities, 2008-10

Local Authority - Cork City Council

Year: 2008 - Maintenance: €4,940,000
Year 2009 - Maintenance: €3,184,000
Year 2010 - Maintenance: €3,430,000

Change: -30.6%

Local Authority - Cork County Council

Year: 2008 - Maintenance: €63.81M
Year 2009 - Maintenance: €43.88M
Year 2010 - Maintenance: €42.1 M

Change: -34%

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