DESPITE receiving over €77.5 million in funding for road maintenance improvements in the county, Laois deputy County Manager Gerry Gibson said an average reduction of 30% nationally will impact on the roads in the county.
In spite of this, only Galway and Kilkenny County Councils received a larger allocation than Laois, who received a total of €77,593,700. €76,425,000 of this is for road improvements in the county. Major projects in Laois which account for the large
figure include the 40 km Portlaoise to Cullahill/Castletown motorway and the 36 km motorway from Castletown to Nenagh, both of which are due to be completed this year.
The maintenance allocation for the county comes in at €1,168,700, which may not meet all the local authority's needs, particularly due to the significant damage caused during the recent harsh winter spell.
Cutbacks in road funding will have a "serious impact" in Laois, Mr Gibson told the monthly meeting of Portlaoise Town Council on Tuesday. Responding to a motion from Cllr Brian Stanley seeking the local authority to lobby the National Roads Authority for funding to upgrade the Mountmellick Road from Fairgreen to Market Square, Mr Gibson said "he wouldn't be optimistic" on any funding being made available. He stressed that funding is extremely constrained and will curtail what works can be carried out.
