John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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103. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the recent submission from Kilkenny County Council regarding the Northern extension of the ring road meets the requirements of the Department to allow the project progress to the next stage of the process; the current status of the project; and if funding will be allocated to Kilkenny County Council to fast track the planning of the route given the importance of the project and the urgent need to have it completed. [43699/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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In accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993, each local authority has statutory responsibility for the improvement and maintenance of their regional and local roads. Works on those roads are funded from local authorities' own resources and are supplemented by State Road grants. Of these grants, the vast majority (approximately 90%) are targeted at the maintenance and renewal of the network with c. 10% of the remaining funding invested in new roads/bridges or for road realignments.

Any new road projects that seek State funding are assessed by the Department on a case-by-case basis. All projects proposed by local authorities for consideration must comply with the requirements of the Infrastructure Guidelines (formerly the Public Spending Code) and the Department's Transport Appraisal Framework. Given the limited funding available for regional and local road improvement works it is important for local authorities to prioritise projects within their overall area of responsibility with these requirements in mind.

In line with Government requirements Kilkenny County Council produced a Strategic Assessment Report (SAR) for the Kilkenny Northern Ring Road Extension and a draft was forwarded to the Department in January 2023. The Department reviewed the SAR and returned its comments and observations to Kilkenny County Council for consideration.

Since then, both the Public Spending Code and the Department’s Transport Appraisal Framework (TAF) guidance have been updated - the Department continues to liaise with the Council regarding new requirements under the new Infrastructure Guidelines and the TAF including the preparation of a Project Outline Document (POD) and business case incorporating the work already undertaken at the SAR stage.

The Department has recently received an updated POD which is currently under review by the Department’s Strategic Research and Analysis Division and Regional and Local Roads Division. Following this review, the Department will further engage with Kilkenny County Council on the Kilkenny Northern Ring Road Project. While this process is underway funding has been allocated for Traffic/Junction Analysis in the Butts Green area of the City to further assess and understand traffic patterns in the city.