Cork to Limerick motorway a 'priority project', says Simon Coveney
The Government considers the proposed €1bn motorway connecting Cork and Limerick to be a "priority project" once more, according to Simon Coveney.
The Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government said on Tuesday that, while such a large-scale investment would not "be an easy thing to do", the State was "looking at ways we can finance that sooner rather than later".
The fresh official stance represents quite the rethink considering former transport minister Paschal Donohoe refused to sanction design funding for the project less than two years ago.
Planning for an 80km motorway linking the two major Munster cities – which the two cities have been seeking for a quarter of a century – recommenced in November.
Coveney's comments came as a Construction Industry Federation (CIF) delegation claimed the "M20" motorwaycould be kick-started with an investment of a mere €5m, even though it has a €1bn pricetag.
Vice president Pat Lucey also said the Dublin Metro and Dart were absolute priority.
He said: “If there was €5m allocated for Cork to Limerick, you would get an enormous amount of planning done.”
Moving through the planning stages now would mean much quicker construction when the rest of the funding required was finally available, he added.
CIF director general Tom Parlon said the €1bn for the M20 would be paid back through economic benefit within 18 months.
The organisation’s president Dominic Doheny said the budgetary oversight committee offered “the best hope we have in averting a national crisis”.
He added: “We’re here with a clear warning — the lack of investment in infrastructure today poses a clear threat to Ireland’s economic and social progress.
“We believe that this can be averted through some innovative thinking and flexibility on our behalf and that of the EU. But we must act quickly as the situation is now very stark.”
He pointed to figures that said Ireland is last in terms of the 28 EU nations in terms of GDP invested in infrastructure.
“Today, we are investing only 2% of GDP in productive infrastructure. The importance of infrastructure investment in stimulating economic growth is well-established globally... However, we are prevented by the EU’s fiscal constraints from increasing infrastructure investment. The Government must seek a relaxation in these rules to enable capital investment in productive infrastructure. There is a consensus from independent bodies across Ireland at EU and international level that Irish infrastructure is grossly inadequate,” he said.
