I am delighted to be here today with my colleague Pat the Cope Gallagher, Minister of State for Transport, to announce details of the 2007 National Roads Programme grant allocations.

Thanks to the combined work of the Irish people and the policies of this Government, Ireland is now one of the world's most successful economies. It needs first-rate transport infrastructure if it is to sustain and build on that success.  This Government is committed to progressing projects that will not only underpin that prosperity but also enhance the quality of life for people and connect communities. The funding allocated for 2007 to the National Roads Authority and I welcome Chairman Peter Malone here today - will allow for more, new and better roads that will help road-users go about their daily lives in a more efficient way.  Better roads also facilitate greater competitiveness.

The National Roads Authority's 2007 budget of €1.53 billion represents the largest single annual investment in road infrastructure in the history of the State. It will allow the NRA to continue the excellent progress made over the last number of years in transforming Ireland's national road infrastructure. 673 projects are being funded under this year's allocation.  This record level of funding, will mean an average ongoing investment of over €125 million each month in our national roads. It will maintain the pace and momentum of the programme that has been built over the lifetime of this Government.

The funds will allow the completion of work this year by the NRA on nine schemes with a combined length of over 100 kms. The funding will also allow the commencement of work on seven schemes, with a combined length of 215 kms and a further 343 kms of roads will continue in construction.  Work on the major inter urban network which are the routes linking our capital to Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford and the border, will continue.  Priority has also been given to accelerating works to improve the M50. Phase 1 of the upgrade is already underway and Phases 2 and 3 will begin this year.  The appendices in your folder will provide you with more details.

The projects announced today are built to various scales and are located in all the regions. What is common to all of these projects, however, is that they make for safer roads.  As Transport Minister, road safety is of paramount importance to me and my colleague Pat the Cope and better quality roads make for easier, safer, road journeys in less built-up traffic. High quality dual carriageways/motorways have been proven to be seven times safer than the roads they replace. By opening over 100km of new roads in 2007, we are adding to the safety of our national road network.

The NRA continues to devote much time and resources to working with other agencies in the effort to improve road safety in Ireland. For example, they are working closely with the Gardaí on identifying speed related accident clusters by location and time of day so they can better target enforcement strategies. €21 million has been allocated today towards road safety measures, which include the line and signs programme, road junction improvement and traffic calming schemes. I also know that a major part of the NRA's work in 2007 will involve developing a close working relationship with the Road Safety Authority.

Funding will also continue to be provided for the extensive programme of engineering works run by the NRA with the aim of dealing with accident blackspots on national roads. Nearly 200 of these schemes are expected to be completed in 2007.

Exchequer investment in national roads during the lifetime of the current Government has been at an all time high. A total of almost €9.5 billion has been spent on road construction and maintenance over the period 1997-2006.  Excellent progress has been made in the implementation of the national roads programme. Ireland's national road network has been transformed in that time. Since 1997, almost 100 projects (over 650kms) have been completed. The length of the motorway network has more than trebled in that time (from 70km in 1997 to more than 250km today) and the total combined length of motorways and dual carriageways has increased by more than 150%.

Some of the major road building projects funded by that investment include:

The almost full completion of the M1 motorway to the Border;

The completion of 50% of the five major inter-urban routes to high quality dual carriageway/motorway standard;

The Dublin Port Tunnel and the Jack Lynch Tunnel in Cork;

The continued development of the M50;

Numerous bypasses the length and breath of Ireland.

The benefits of the record level of investment are evident throughout the country. The elimination of longstanding bottlenecks in Kildare, Monasterevin, Cashel, Loughrea, Drogheda and elsewhere around the country has been achieved.  This has delivered substantial journey time-savings and greater journey time certainty in these particular areas.  The high quality network being put in place is contributing significantly to supporting our national competitiveness, job creation and to the achievement of more balanced regional development.

It is a little over a year since the launch of Transport 21 - the Government's investment plan for transport.   2006, the first year of Transport 21, was in every way a record year for Ireland's National Roads Programme. Fourteen major road projects were completed and opened to traffic and a dozen more started construction - more than three times the number of starts than in the previous year.  A number of projects opened ahead of schedule too in 2006, including bypasses of Ashbourne (opened 4 months ahead of time), Fermoy (8 months) and Bundoran/Ballyshannon (3 months), the N25 Kinsale Road Interchange (opened 6 months ahead of target) and the N21 Castleisland/Abbeyfeale (3 months). Great credit is due to the National Roads Authority for all their hard work last year. The funding I am announcing today will ensure that the pace of the programme is maintained in 2007.

In the early years of Transport 21, investment in the national road network will focus on the completion of the five major inter-urban routes linking Dublin to Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford and the Border.  Work is complete or underway on more than 70% of these vital routes and they are very much on target for full completion by 2010.

2007 will see the pace of work on all the MIUs pick up. Indeed the final section of the M1 link to the Border I mentioned it earlier - will be finished before the end of this year.

The work on the MIUs will deliver benefits to counties in the BMW region. Access to and from the region is improving all the time and the work the NRA is carrying out in the region is closely aligned to the goals and objectives set out in the National Spatial Strategy.

Significantly the Portlaoise to Cullahill/Cashel section of the M7/M8 will begin this year and will join other major projects already in construction on the Dublin-Cork route such as the N8 Cullahill to Cashel and the N8 Cashel to Mitchelstown.

2007 will also see work begin on the 56km N6 Galway to Ballinasloe Bypass as well as the completion of the N6 Kinnegad to Kilbeggan Scheme. Together with the other improvements already in place on this route, these will further transform the driving experience between Dublin and the West.

Traffic congestion is one of the problems of modern life. In Ireland it is an unfortunate side effect of the economic success we have enjoyed over the last number of years. The National Roads Programme has consistently put in place measures to identify and address the worst traffic bottlenecks throughout the country and there is more to be done in this regard.  We all know that the M50 suffers from congestion at peak periods. Therefore, priority has been given to accelerating works to upgrade that critical artery. As I have said earlier, Phase 1 of the upgrade is already underway. Phases 2 and 3 (27 kms in total) will begin this year. Once complete it will have significant benefits, as it will:

Expand the capacity of the M50 to deal with 50% more traffic than at present;

Improve average peak hour speeds;

Reduce traffic congestion on the radial routes (N3, N4, N7); and

Improve traffic flow on the whole of the Dublin road network.

In conclusion, I would like to thank the NRA, local authorities and contractors and all involved in the implementation of the roads programme for all their efforts to date.  I wish them well in their ongoing work this year in upgrading and developing our national road network. Their success will help sustain our prosperity and improve quality of life for years to come.

ENDS