Fine Gael TD Joe Carey has welcomed the allocation of a €550,000 special maintenance grant to help repair regional and local roads in Clare that were damaged by extreme weather.

“Many of the regional and local roads in Clare have suffered significant damage as a result of severe weather events and in some cases Clare County Council has been faced with damage caused by repeated severe weather incidents, “ Deputy Carey explained.

“Extreme weather events over the last year, such as Storm Eleanor, Storm Emma, flooding incidents and the summer drought have had a major impact on the regional and local road network.

“These events combined with the extended period of reduced funding for road maintenance following the economic downturn have left the road network much more vulnerable to damage.

“I know this funding will greatly assist in the repairs and ensure our road network in Clare is of the highest standard,”he concluded.

In addition, a €3m allocation is being provided to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to assist with winter operations and maintenance works on national roads. 

This additional funding boosts the regional and local road budget in 2018 from €417 million to €432 million which represents a 33 per cent  increase on the 2017 investment.

Ends

Deputy Joe Carey is available on 086 – 4032019