Sinn Féin TD for Waterford David Cullinane has expressed shock and deep disappointment that funding for the N24 Waterford to Cahir upgrade was not allocated in the recent round of funding allocation.

He says this disappointment is compounded by an allocation of €50,000 to decommission the consultancy team and essentially remove them from the Project. 

Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien last week announced €633 million in funding for national roads.

Some areas of the road will be improved under the funding, including the N24 Cahir to Limerick Junction (including Tipperary Bypass) and the N4 Carrick-on-Shannon to Dromod.

However, Deputy David Cullinane said it is disappointing to see nothing allocated for the N24 Waterford to Cahir upgrade.

Deputy Cullinane said, “This is devastating news and deeply disappointing. The N24 upgrade is vital for the entire Southeast. Kilkenny, Tipperary, and Waterford City and County Councils were working together on this project.

“I convened a group of Oireachtas members from Waterford, Kilkenny, and Tipperary a number of weeks back so that we could better work together to advocate for funding for the N24 upgrade from Waterford to Cahir.

“I welcomed the commitment from all representatives to work together to lobby the Minister for Transport to fund the much-needed upgrade of the N24. It has been over a year since the preferred route, including bypasses Carrick-on-Suir, Mooncoin, and Kilsheelan, was announced.

“The project needs funding of €7.9 million over the next three years with €2.2m this year. This funding has not been allocated, and the project will be delayed for years. It is clearly needed to improve road safety, reduce congestion, and improve connectivity across the region. It is regrettable that road safety has not been prioritised nor was the economic need.”

€8 million of the €633 million was allocated to roads in Waterford last week, with improvements to roads including the N25 and N72.

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