€6.5m in unspent Connemara road money returned to State

Millions of euro earmarked for the N59 in Connemara have been lost – as the road from Oughterard to Clifden deteriorates by the day.

To date, a massive €6.5m has now been returned to the state coffers – unspent.

Because while this 50 kilometre stretch has been described as the worst of its kind in the country, environmental issues meant the money set aside by Transport Infrastructure Ireland could not be utilised.

The latest tranche to be returned to Dublin is almost €2.5m; that is from the allocation set aside for the Oughterard to Clifden road in 2016.  It has emerged that only about €100,000 of this money was used; that was on studies and consultants.

Over €4m that was allocated the previous year for the start-up of the Oughterard to Maam Cross section of the road was also returned.

While permission was given for the Oughterard/Maam Cross section by An Bord Pleanála, a condition attached meant that the National Parks and Wildlife Service also had a deciding role in the process.

Galway County Council had to get clearance from the NPWS before work could begin on the 15 kilometres between Oughterard and Maam Cross. And while the go-ahead was given by An Bord Pleanála in 2013, there has been no agreement so far with the NPWS.

This week, N59 lobby leaders Josie Conneely and Seosamh Ó Cuaig described the situation now as “absurd and farcical”.

The N59 Action Campaign Group will meet Minister for Transport and Tourism, Shane Ross, in the coming weeks in order to press their case for a fast tracking of the Connemara road crux.   This meeting has been arranged by Senator Pádraig Ó Céidigh.

The N59 Action Group will request the Minister to facilitate some system of intervention to overcome the hold-ups and planning difficulties that have halted progress on the upgrade.

“This is an insult to the people of Connemara and a national scandal,” said Seosamh Ó Cuaig.

“People fought long and hard for better roads in Connemara; indeed people went to prison in previous decades over the issue.  You would have to say what is happening now – with millions from Connemara going back to Dublin – is beyond the boundaries of reason,” he added.

The proposed upgrade between Clifden and Oughterard involved two separate projects.  While the Oughterard to Maam Cross section was given the green light by An Bord Pleanála it has not crossed the NPWS environmental hurdle yet.

Meanwhile, the section between Clifden and Maam Cross was refused by An Bord Pleanála on a split decision.  While the ruling accepted the need for an upgrade, that was overruled by concerns that Special Areas of Conservation would be negatively affected.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland has announced an €800,000 allocation for the N59 between Oughterard and Clifden for 2017; that sum is substantially down on the sums of the past two years – which could not be spent.

While there was no detail on how this year’s allocation would be used it may go towards an “overlay” on part of the road from Oughterard toward Leam and Maam Cross.

N59 Action Campaign group chairman Josie Conneely warned that they ‘must be very watchful’of the overlay process.

“In the end that is little more than tar and chips and some filling in of valley’s in the road,” he said.

“The people of Connemara need and deserve more than that.  We must have a guarantee that this work is a temporary measure and that the proper upgrade is carried out.

“We certainly will be highlighting that with Minister Ross as well as the section to Clifden and planning for the section north to Leenane – particularly the section west of Letterfrack,” he added.