This article is from page 8 of the 2013-05-21 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 8 JPG
MORE than three quarters of a million euro was yesterday allocated to 26 different community roads works projects in Clare.
A total of € 767, 529 will be spent on the 26 Clare projects – with a € 614,023 coming from the Department of Transport and the remaining € 153,506 coming from the local communities where the roads will be built.
The scheme is specifically targeted a more rural roads in the county and requires that a portion of funding to be put forward by local communities.
Half of the allocated projects are located in the Killaloe electoral area, where 13 projects have been earmarked funding totally € 420,000. Shannon was the least represented electoral area with just one successful project receiving funding of more than € 15,000.
There were six successful projects in the Kilrush electoral area, four in Ennistymon and two in Ennis.
Clare County Council’s roads maintenance budget has been cut drastically in successive years with decreasing budgets meaning that a large number of roads projects are being delayed by years – or indefinitely.
This funding crisis was compounded by the unseasonably cold and wet winters in recent years which have caused unexpected damages to a large number of roads, with most or sometimes all of the annual roads budget being spent on repairing these roads.
“Local authorities have asked communities to come up with a portion of the cost of road maintenance ei- ther through funding, labour provision, machinery supply or other forms of benefit,” said Alan Kelly, Junior minister at the Department of Transport.
“This funding is then being added to my department’s spend to prioritise maintenance in rural isolated areas and will allow communities have a direct input along with their local authority into local road maintenance.”
It is expected that the funding will effect a total of 108 households in Clare, 56 farms and two forestry plantations.