“The people want tar and that is what we will give them,” said Minister of State Michael Healy-Rae and his brother Danny as more than €33 million in road grants was announced for their Kerry constituency.
The allocation is part of a €713 million package announced on Friday by the Department of Transport. The total is up by some 8 per cent on the €658 million provided last year.
The funding will, according to the department, see €330 million invested in road strengthening works and €75 million in preventive surface dressing, with €84 million for maintenance and strengthening works to be carried out at the discretion of local authorities.
There is also €70 million for strategic regional and local road projects, €18 million for bridge rehabilitation works, €13 million for safety improvements and €18 million for drainage works. The funding will also go towards junction reconfigurations and initiatives to reduce traffic congestion in towns.
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The largest allocation, some €82.8 million, is destined for Co Cork, with Galway county to receive €43.6 million while more than €42 million will go to both Donegal and Tipperary.
There will be €40 million for roads in Co Mayo, counties Clare and Limerick have each been allocated €39 million, and there is €33 million for Co Kerry.
The lowest allocations will go to Dublin local authorities, with €35,000 for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, €38,000 for Dublin City Council, €49,000 for South Dublin County Council and €182,500 for Fingal.
Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien, TD for Dublin Fingal East, said the funding is “essential for maintaining social and economic connectivity, linking people and places” across the State.
“My main priority is the ongoing maintenance and renewal of the regional and local road network, alongside strategic investment in developing and improving the road infrastructure network,” he said.
“Rehabilitation and maintenance is fundamental to keeping the network in a good condition, and a significant increase in funding has been provided for in 2025, with most of the funding going toward restoration of the network.”
Some of the projects to benefit feature in the National Development Plan such as the Shannon Crossing and Killaloe bypass project in Co Clare and the Coonagh to Knockalisheen Distributor Road in Limerick city.
Minister of State at the department Seán Canney said funding was being allocated for more than 330 road safety projects, with a view to “reducing road fatalities and serious injuries” and creating a safer roads network.
He said the climate adaptation funding would go towards 315 projects aimed at ensuring “the long-term sustainability and resilience of our roads”. Among them are flood alleviation works at Castleblayney, Co Monaghan and seawall protection works at Aillroe/Erribul in Co Clare.
In their statement, the Healy-Rae brothers, who are among the Independent TDs supporting the Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael Coalition, said “being able to fight for Kerry from within Government” gave them the ability to ensure “that more money ends up in the coffers of Kerry County Council”.
They said this will “trickle down to speed up the process of road improvements for Kerry road users”.
“It is the dawning of a new era, the increase in the national budget for roads in such a short time of this new Government represents a sign of intent going forward, the people want tar and that is what we will give them.”
