Thursday, 25 July 2024
The Cabinet has today given the go-ahead in principle to major developments on three sections of the national road network in Donegal, which will improve safety for all road users, improve connectivity to the rest of the country and help breathe new life into historic market towns in the county.
The developments together form the Donegal TEN-T Project - part of the Trans-European Comprehensive Network, a selection of strategic transport corridors throughout the EU that have been identified to play a key role in the mobility of goods and passengers.
The approved plan includes major road improvements, bypasses of Letterkenny, Ballybofey/Stranorlar and Lifford, along with over 60km of safe and segregated walking and cycling and eight “Modal Shift Hubs” which would allow road users to switch to active travel and public transport.
The project will improve connectivity between Donegal and the rest of Ireland, also benefitting reliability and journey times for public transport. At Strabane, it will connect to the A5, improving transport links to ports and airports.
The three sections of the road network targeted for TEN-T improvements are:
Section 1 - N15/N13 Ballybofey/Stranorlar Bypass
Section 2 - N56/N13 Letterkenny to Manorcunningham
Section 3 - N14 Manorcunningham to Lifford/Strabane (including the link to the A5).
Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, said “I was in Donegal earlier this year and spoke about these projects with councillors and the Executive. Today it is great to see them getting the go-ahead. This major project will increase safety for all road users in Donegal and will provide greater connectivity to the rest of the country. By removing traffic, in particular trucks and other heavy goods vehicles, from the centre of a number of towns and villages, it will make them even more attractive places to live, work, and shop in.
"Importantly, it will also open up areas within the towns for more transport-led housing development, bringing new life and vitality into them. It also envisages a number of ‘modal hubs’ which will make it easier for people to switch between different transport modes, such as public transport or shared bikes and cars for example, giving them greater choice and ease. This is a good day for Donegal and I look forward to these projects progressing now.”
Minister of State, James Lawless, said “This scheme, which was approved in principle at Cabinet today, provides for increased safety on the national road network in Donegal through improved carriageway alignment, the removal of dangerous junctions, and the diversion of long-distance traffic from towns and villages. It will also protect vulnerable road users through the provision of segregated pedestrian and cycling facilities. The project will also benefit citizens and business by providing for reduced journey times and improved reliability, enhancing accessibility in Donegal and the wider North-West region. I welcome the progression of this project.”
The current estimated cost range for the project is €780m to €915m. Costs will be updated in future iterations of the business case and submitted to Government for approval. Today’s approval will allow the project to be progressed through the necessary statutory processes and the preparation of a procurement strategy. It is expected that construction can commence in 2028, subject to the necessary statutory processes and approvals.
The Cost Benefit Analysis which has been carried out has produced Benefit-to-Cost Ratio (BCR) values ranging from 2.61 to 4.73, which is considered a highly positive BCR.
If approved through all its stages, the project will be funded within the Department of Transport’s future capital allocations under the National Development Plan.
