£8.2 MILLION TO IMPROVE MAYO ROADS THIS YEAR



Connaught Telegraph Logo 22 January 1997


The Mayo Fine Gael Government elected representatives have warmly welcomed the increased allocation of grants to Mayo County Council for non-national road grants by the Minister for the Environment, Mr. Brendan Howlin.

The total amount allocated is £8.2 million for 1997 - an increase of £1.2m on 1996. The sum allocated is divided between improvement and maintenance and for improvement grants £3.749 has been approved and will be spent on works such as taking off bends.

The maintenance grant of £1.484m will be used for ordinary maintenance such as resurfacing and pot hole repairs.

There is also a discretionary fund of £1.247m which will be applied at the discretion of the council to areas which the county council deems to be most in need.

And there is an allocation of £1.8m under a special fund of EU co-financed Specific Improvements Grants.

There is a specific list of projects in which this £1.8m is to be spent and the list includes

Block grants have been allocated to the three Urban Council in the county.
  • Ballina: £65,00
  • Castlebar: £65,000
  • Westport: £44,000 and £100,000 for
  • Quay Road, Westport.
Tourism and Trade Minister Enda Kenny said the allocations would allow the local authority to undertake a substantially increased volume of work on non-national roads for 1997.

He said: "I welcome these grant allocations and have no doubt that these will be of great benefit to Mayo in general."

Government Chief Whip, Mr. Jim Higgins added: "The increased allocation is indicative of Government commitment to improvements in the road infrastructure of the county.

"I am delighted at the increased sums announced and that the people of Mayo are the ultimate beneficiaries of this expenditure."

Deputy Michael Ring warmly welcomed the allocations, which he said, represented a 16% grant increase on 1996.

He said: "This funding gives evidence of this Government's commitment to deal with the long identified problems of regional and county roads."

He said he was particularly delighted with the £100,000 allocation for Quay Road, Westport . This was the third consecutive year that £100,000 had been allocated to Westport.

The allocation of £250,000 for the West Road represented a 'massive start' for this stretch of road.



Connaught Telegraph - News & Sport - January 1997