FINE GAEL TD CALLS UPON…… TAOISEACH AND TRANSPORT MINISTER TO HALT CLONTIBRET ROAD PLAN

By PATSY McARDLE

LOCAL Fine Gael T.D. for Cavan/Monaghan, Deputy Sean Conlan has revealed he has requested An Taoiseach Enda Kenny, and the Minister for Transport, Leo Varadker, to veto the controversial plans for the proposed motorway from Clontibret to the border, as part of the €850 million N2/A45 dual carriageway project from Dublin to Derry, initially announced in 2007 by former Fianna Fail Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern.
Urging Mr. Kenny, and the Transport Minister Mr. Varadker, to immediately halt the Clontibret-Aughnacloy motorway proposal, Deputy Conlan said yesterday he has asked both the Taoiseach and the Minister to strongly reconsider the pledge which Mr. Kenny gave, last May, confirming that the government was committed to the plans for the new motorway.
Deputy Conlan said he had made his request on the basis of the fierce local opposition to the proposal, and also on the grounds that he considered the project to be “ ill- considered and a project of the Celtic Tiger era”.
“I have told the Taoiseach and Minister Varadkar, in no uncertain terms, that I do not support this project in its current form. While I acknowledge and respect the Taoiseach’s commitment to strong North-South relations and appreciate the need to protect all of the gains that have flown from the Good Friday Agreement, I will not support wasteful spending of taxpayers’ money”, Deputy Conlan declared.
“There have been no less than 2,400 objections to this project and for good reason. It simply does not make financial sense. I hate to state the obvious but we are in recession, we do not have €850 million to spend on a road which, all things considered, is not needed or wanted. Indeed, large sections of the N2 have recently undergone major road improvements and towns along the route have already been by-passed. For example, the new road proposals will by-pass the recent Monaghan Town Bypass. This project needs to be downsized to reflect the economic realities which now exist. Engineering solutions need to be found which will upgrade the sections of the route which really require improvements. Any more than that is not an appropriate at this time.”
Full story in The Northern Standard