I welcome this opportunity to deal with the authority's accounts for 2001 and to outline key activities in that year, as well as bringing the committee up to date on the current status of the national roads programme. The authority faced considerable challenges coming into 2000 in gearing up for the scale of the roads programme envisaged in the National Development Plan, 2000-2006. Specifically, the NDP set the authority the task of improving five major interurban routes between Dublin and Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford and the M1 to the border with Northern Ireland to motorway or high quality dual carriageway standard. The programme also caters for significant activity on the improvement of a great many other national primary roads and a lesser number of national secondary roads throughout the country. The level of service to be achieved on the routes concerned will help ensure that difficulties of access no longer inhibit the attraction of investment and employment opportunities to all parts of the country.
The authority, in conjunction with local authorities, reviewed its procedures and practices and established 11 national regional road design offices to manage the planning and statutory procedures to be followed in advancing national road scheme proposals. As part of this process, revised procedures were adopted which have the potential to reduce the time typically required to progress schemes from initial planning to construction to three and a half years compared with in excess of five years previously.
Our response to the ambitious programme set out in the NDP also involved the allocation of substantial resources to planning and design work. Some €51 million was spent on such work during 2000, an increase of 170% on the previous year's expenditure, for the purpose of gearing up to meet the NDP objectives. We have maintained a high level of funding for the planning effort each year since, including almost €150 million this year.
I am pleased to be able to report that good progress was maintained in 2001 on the implementation of the national roads programme. Exchequer funding for improvement and maintenance works totalled €958.65 million in that year, an increase of over €300 million, or 46%, on the previous year. Significant developments during the year included the completion of the planning and consultation process leading to the identification of the preferred route corridors for all five major interurban routes, and the completion of 14 projects accounting for 106 kilometres of new or improved roads, including almost 44 kilometres of dual carriageway and motorway.
The projects concerned included the M1 Dunleer-Dundalk motorway, the M1-N2 Dunleer to Ardee link road, which is of strategic significance in catering for Donegal-Dublin traffic, the N15 Clar-Barnesmore road and the N56 Mountcharles bypass, both in County Donegal, the N20 Croom bypass, the N20-N21 Adare to Limerick project, the N21 from Ballycarthy to Killally, County Kerry, the N25 Kilmacthomas bypass in County Waterford and the M50 southern cross route.
In addition, work commenced on 13 projects including the south-eastern motorway, which is the final section of the M50, the Dublin Port tunnel, the N5 from Strokestown-Longford, the N7 Limerick southern ring road, phase one, the N18 Hurlers Cross project, the N19 Shannon access road, the N17 Knock-Claremorris road, phase two, and the N25 Youghal bypass.
The authority, in conjunction with local authorities, suspended farm visits and related planning work early in 2001 in support of the national effort to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease. It was possible to resume such visits after eight to ten weeks on the basis of protocols approved by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development concerning disinfectant and comprehensive access precautions. The situation caused small but manageable and recoverable delays to the timetables for some projects.
Of more significance, however, was the refusal of the IFA to allow access to land for site investigation and environmental impact assessment work during the second half of 2001, as part of a campaign to secure changes in the application of compulsory purchase order legislation and increased compensation payments. This had the effect of delaying over 30 projects by between six and 12 months. A welcome resolution to the IFA dispute was secured in December 2001.
The €1.135 billion funding available to the authority in 2002 sustained an unprecedented level of road construction activity. At the start of that year, 201 kilometres of road were under construction, including almost 130 kilometres of motorway and dual carriageway. Many of the schemes involved will be completed this year. The authority also initiated a special programme for national secondary roads aimed at ensuring a quality road pavement and protecting the structural integrity of the network. The funding commitments for these schemes and activities, together with the on-going implementation of the authority's road safety programme in support of the Government's road safety strategy, meant that the authority was not in a position to allow additional schemes to go to construction during 2002.
While dealing with road safety measures, I should point out that the 900 kilometres of motorways and dual carriageways planned for construction under the NDP will be intrinsically safer than the sections of national road they will replace. When constructed, these roads have the potential to reduce road accident fatalities by over 50 persons annually.
The authority welcomes the significant reduction in road accident fatalities recorded in 2002 and, while it is clear that the introduction of the penalty points system was a major contributory factor in that reduction, the authority has assisted in some way in the process of reducing road fatalities. Over the course of the road to safety strategy, 1998-2002, the authority completed remedial works at 418 high risk accident locations - 18 more than the strategy's target - and developed and implemented safety audit procedures in respect of scheme design and construction. It also conducted surveys on speeds and seat-belt wearing to better inform the work of the high level group on road safety.
Last week, the authority announced details of allocations to local authorities for 2003 based on the record Exchequer provision of €1.263 billion, an increase of 11.4% on the expenditure outturn in 2002. This level of funding represents a major boost for the construction industry with the planned commencement of at least seven national road schemes this year. The schemes, which have a combined estimated cost of €1.138 billion, are the N1 Dundalk western bypass, the N2 Carrickmacross bypass, the N4 Kilcock-Kinnegad bypass, the N7 Monasterevin bypass, the N7 Kingswood interchange, which ties into an outer ring road being constructed along the Naas road, the N8 Cashel bypass and the N25 Waterford city bypass.
The number of schemes proceeding to construction may increase further, depending on the roads programme's overall rate of progress and financial commitments arising during the year. Priority schemes in this regard are the N4 between Hughestown and Meera and the N26 at Carrowntreila, between Ballina and Bohola. The tender process for these two schemes is to commence immediately.
In determining scheme allocations, the NRA has taken account of the objectives of the national development plan and the Minister for Transport's request to prioritise schemes on the major interurban routes, PPP schemes and schemes in the BMW region. The current imbalance in expenditure in favour of the southern and eastern region reflects the scheme content of the roads programme on publication of the NDP in November 1999 and the time required to advance schemes through planning and statutory approval processes. The authority is actively taking steps to redress the situation and these efforts are producing results through the advancement of BMW region schemes such as the N1 Dundalk western bypass, the N2 Carrickmacross bypass, the N4 scheme between Boyle and Carrick-on-Shannon, the N4 scheme between Kilcock and Kinnegad, the M7 Monasterevin bypass and the N26 scheme between Ballina and Bohola. This year's allocations make significant provision for property acquisition payments in respect of schemes which have secured the necessary statutory approvals. Funding is also being made available for advance archaeological work on schemes such as the N18 Ennis bypass and the N4 Sligo inner relief road. The archaeological aspects of these schemes will be resolved in accordance with best practice, clearing the way for tendering for road construction to proceed.
Almost €150 million is being allocated for projects at planning and design stage. This will make it possible to make statutory orders and to complete environmental impact statements for schemes, as well as advancing other schemes through various stages of planning. Design and planning work for major schemes on national secondary routes, including compensation payments for land for schemes which have obtained compulsory purchase order approvals, will benefit from the provision of €12.44 million. The NRA plans to spend €69 million this year on road pavement improvements. This work is intended to maintain the road network in good structural order, taking account of the higher axle loads permitted in recent years, and to provide safe and comfortable driving conditions. Expenditure will be targeted using road condition survey data and will have regard to the timetable for construction of new sections of road. Some €43.2 million of the overall pavement provision will be allocated to a five-year pavement restoration programme for national secondary roads, launched by the NRA last year.
The authority is allocating over €9 million to local authorities for road safety measures this year. This will allow for accident reduction measures at some 80 locations, as well as 20 traffic calming schemes on the network. As part of its ongoing commitment to improve road safety and to reduce accident fatalities——