“The people of Drogheda are watching and waiting”

The first 2kms section of the Port Access Northern Cross Route (PANCR) took almost 20 years to bring to fruition and it seems the government is tackling the final section of the road that will cross the Dublin-to-Belfast rail line with the same degree of urgency.

It has emerged today that a meagre €30,000 has been allocated by Minister for Transport, Darragh O’Brien to Louth County Council for the PANCR scheme in 2025.

In a statement issued today, Labour TD, Ged Nash challenged Minister O’Brien to provide the funding needed to complete what he described as “Drogheda’s most important piece of infrastructure.”

Deputy Nash said that Minister for Transport, Darragh O’Brien TD could do “more for housing in Drogheda than he ever achieved as Minister for Housing”, by funding the completion of the road.

He said: “The crucial third phase of the Northern Cross Route will facilitate the construction of a new community in North Drogheda and pave the way, more or less, for 5,000 badly-needed new homes and the critical social and economic infrastructure that new community needs.

“It is believed this leg of road will cost over €20 million to complete and so far, the government has confirmed its contribution to the road has run to just €30,000, which I am assuming is for the development of elements of the plan.”

The Labour TD said: “In response to a Parliamentary Question I tabled to Minister O’Brien, I was told that the Department of Transport has received project outline documents for phase three of the route, from Louth County Council.

“This documentation is required for projects worth over €15 million and I’m pleased to hear that the local authority has submitted the documents needed to win central funding from government. Very soon, the final decision will be in the Minister for Transport’s hands.

“Fianna Fail’s ‘Housing for All’ policy, while he was Minister for Housing has been a singular failure in tackling the extent of housing supply demand in Drogheda and across the country, but with a stroke of a pen, he can go a long way to answering the demand for housing in our town, ironically, as Minister for Transport.”

Deputy Nash added: “I’m calling on Minister O’Brien to release the funds needed to complete this project which is vital for the future growth of Drogheda and essential if we are to make any real impact on the growing demands for housing in the area.

“New homes, school places, recreational facilities and a new train station to the north of the town will all be brought a step closer to reality on completion of this road and it is within the gift of the Minister for Transport to see it completed. The people of Drogheda are watching and waiting.”