Some 164 private roads were selected for upgrades under the Government-funded Local Improvement Scheme in Donegal in 2017, Government TD Joe McHugh has said.
A total of €3,065,000 was allocated for road improvements such as resurfacing here in Donegal last year, as part of a €17 million national fund for the scheme. Donegal got almost one fifth of the national allocation – the highest in the country
And Minister Joe McHugh has confirmed another round of LIS funding will be paid in the first half of this year.
Said Joe: “In last year’s LIS scheme 164 private roads right across Donegal were designated for improvements, from Glassagh to Glenswilly, from Rathmullan to Raphoe, Carrigart to Carndonagh and from Buncrana to Ballybofey and many dozens of places in between.
“I am delighted that my Fine Gael colleague Minister Ring has confirmed to me that another round of the LIS will take place in the first half of this year.
“The LIS scheme was re-introduced last year after a gap of eight years since the last round of funding, and has made a huge difference to local communities here in Donegal.
“Many lanes and boreens which link private homes and farms are not on the public roads network and are therefore not maintained by the local authority, so this scheme really supports people living and working in rural areas. I know the latest round of funding has helped give access to graveyards and tourist walkways.
“While Donegal received almost 20 per cent of the national budget with over €3M, I know there is still work to be done on many private roads in Donegal so I am delighted to see that another LIS Scheme will take place this year.
“Fine Gael in Government will continue to invest in infrastructure to support local communities and build a sustainable future for rural Ireland and in Cabinet as the voice of Donegal I am delivering for Donegal.
“I secured €40M for our national roads this year, the highest allocation of any county in Ireland; and we have also secured €33M for local roads in 2018 – €10M of that for Inishowen. I want to again thank Donegal County Council staff for all their hard work across all these infrastructure schemes.”
Cllr Martin Harley said: “In our area we were able to use some of the money to improve some community projects including a walk at Drumbo Woods and access to Dunwiley Fort.
“I am delighted that there will be another round of funding in the next few months and I want to thank Ministers Ring and McHugh for their efforts on behalf of Donegal.”
