45 major road projects 'shelved'
Work on all major new road projects is to be halted because of a lack of money, it has been reported.
Transport Minister Leo Varadkar has ordered the NRA to stop work on 45 such projects, according to the Irish Independent, in addition to the 40 already suspended.
Among the projects being shelved are planned bypasses in Slane, Clonmel, Thurles, Kenmare, Listowel, Dungarvan and Adare, the report said.
Just six roads projects are starting this year, among them bypasses for Belturbet, Longford and Tralee and upgrades to the N4 at Mullingar, the Cork south ring road and the Carricksbridge to Dalystown route in Westmeath.
"In my view, we should focus the limited resources we have on maintain existing infrastructure and proceeding with the small number of shovel-ready projects that we can afford to proceed with," the newspaper quoted Varadkar as saying.
"I do not believe that it is appropriate to continue to spend millions of euro planning projects when we do not know if we can fund them."
