Road Safety
Seanad Éireann — 2026-09-30
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Catherine Ardagh (FF), Dublin South-Central

I thank Senator Lynch for tabling this matter. The matter of infrastructure investment to support road safety, as well as quality of life for people who rely on the N22, is important to the Department. The Minister for Transport has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding in relation to the national roads programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, under the Roads Acts, and in line with the national development plan, NDP, the planning, design, improvement and upgrading of individual national roads is a matter for TII, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. TIl ultimately delivers the national roads programme in line with Project Ireland 2040, the national planning framework and the NDP.
It is important to point out that a number of major national roads projects have already been delivered under the current national development plan. This includes a significant upgrade to the N22, namely, the Ballyvourney to Macroom project, which opened in 2023, as well as the Dunkettle interchange upgrade. The Senator has commented on how successful they have been.
Approximately €659 million of Exchequer capital funds were provided for national roads through TII to local authorities in 2026. This is used for the construction of major new roads projects as well as the protection and renewal of the existing network. Of this, almost €138.66 million was allocated to Cork County Council.
A major priority of the national development plan, in line with the Department’s investment hierarchy, is to maintain the quality and safety of the existing national roads network. This includes funding for minor improvement projects, safety schemes such as junction upgrades and road realignment, and pavement renewal.
There has been significant investment in the N22 in County Cork in recent years. This year alone has seen €3.5 million allocated to pavement schemes alone on the N22 in Cork.
Regarding the N22 Castlemore junction scheme, Cork County Council is in the process of procuring technical advisers to progress the design of a new roundabout at the Castlemore junction. It is expected that this appointment will be completed and design commenced in 2026. With regard to timelines, and while I know that the Senator hopes to hear some clear information today, it is difficult to say at this point because the land acquisition process is likely to influence delivery.
On other safety interventions on the N22 in County Cork, a right turn lane was introduced last year at the Kilcondy junction. Also, traffic calming and safety measures are under way at Srelane, with expected completion in October.
The allocations provided are in the allocations booklet published by TII and available on its website. TII will continue to work closely with Cork County Council to identify critical areas for intervention on the N22 as well as other national routes in Cork, subject to available funding.
I hope that this message is of some assistance to the Senator.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-09-30/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-30