LIS funding is not enough for Donegal's non-public roads and lanes
“We are lucky if we get five or six roads done with the money, that's the reality. People are frustrated especially those who have been on the waiting list for a long time”
The funding awarded for Donegal's Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) roads is not enough and would only result in five or six roads getting done this year, according to Donegal Municipal District councillor, Micheal Naughton.
Speaking at Tuesday's MD meeting in Donegal Town the councillor said while he welcomed the almost €1 million allocation for and repairs and improvement works on Donegal's rural roads and laneways, it only meant around €168,000 for their municipal district area that stretched from Bundoran to Glencolmcille when shared out.
This week's allocation, the third highest in the country, is aimed at supporting the council's work on the improvement of non-public roads and lanes that are not normally maintained by the local authorities.
"When the LIS announcement was made all councillors were inundated with calls from people wanting work to be done. We are lucky if we get five or six roads done with the money, that's the reality. People are frustrated especially those who have been on the waiting list for a long time. There was €12 million allocated nationally but you could spend that in Donegal alone with the number of roads that need to be done.
He added he welcomed almost €38m under the 2023 investment programme for regional and local roads earlier that day. Donegal received the fifth-highest allocation in the country and has an increase from the 2022 allocation.
He said he particularly welcomed the €150,000 for the Glenmore bridge in Pettigo adding more was needed for the road itself but this allocation meant it was going n the right direction. He also welcomed the €300,000 for Hall's Junction in Kilcar as well as the €2 million for the Fintra bridge and road alignment.
"The only infrastructure we have in this county is roads and we still need more money for these, including the LISs. The local lane is probably the most important route for many people and the €168,000 is nowhere near what we need," he said.
Cathaoirleach of the municipal district, Cllr Niamh Kennedy also welcomed the roads funding, particularly Fintra saying it would help the project move forward too and hopefully see construction start by the end of this year.
The meeting was told by the area manager for roads and transportation, Mark Sweeney said he agreed the money allocated was small compared to what was needed but the council was guided in what the Department of Transport asked them to do.
He added it took a major amount of work to get even seven or eight schemes delivered each year.