A special meeting has been called this evening (Monday) to address the major traffic problems affecting Letterkenny.
The Mayor of Letterkenny and County Councillor James Pat McDaid has called the meeting to bring together all political representatives and local authority leaders to address road funding issues.
This is the first meeting of its kind called by Cllr McDaid to highlight the seriousness of the lack of funding Letterkenny has being receiving for roads infrastructure.
An invitation has been put out for Seamus Neely, the CEO of Donegal County Council and John McLaughlin, Director of Roads and Transportation with Donegal County Council, along with all Councillors for the Municipal District of Letterkenny and all Oireachtas members in Donegal to attend the meeting.
Cllr James Pat McDaid
Ahead of today’s meeting, Cllr McDaid told Donegal Daily: “Letterkenny is the largest town in the North-West and is growing but government funding isn’t growing, we need huge investment to deal with the traffic congestion.
“I will be hoping everyone wears the one hat for Letterkenny, the economic hub of the county which is growing rapidly, but the funding hasn’t been coming in from the government.
“We have the hospital, LYIT, major businesses here, and people from all over Donegal travel into the town every day. It would be good news for everyone if we got funding for our roads.
“We have a briefing document put together to highlight the seriousness of the situation and I will be calling on our oireachtas members to seek a special meeting with the Minister for Transport Shane Ross to highlight the situation. Letterkenny is almost at breaking point for traffic congestion.
“I am asking all members of the Council to put their politics aside and come together to seek the special meeting with Minister Ross.”
Cllr McDaid cited the Bonagee Link Road and the Leck links as priority routes for alleviating traffic in the town, as well as other roads identified in the LUTS report (Letterkenny Integrated Land Use and Transportation Study).
The meeting will take place today at the Letterkenny Public Service Centre.
