TD calls for bypass of Virginia

A local TD has called on the government to urgently provide funding to progress the design and planning a bypass for the town of Virginia on the N3.
Stating that there is a “bottleneck” of traffic clogging up the town each and every day, Cavan-Monaghan Fianna Fáil Deputy Brendan Smith said: “If we are serious about rural development, we have to ensure that much-needed capital projects are progressed as rapidly as possible. It is essential not just to create additional employment but to maintain the employment that is already there.”
Using his time speaking in the Dáil last week in relation to Financial Resolution no 2, he also moved to raise the need for the East West link, connecting Sligo, through Cavan, to Dundalk.
While advanced in 2009 and 2010, with particular attention given to key stretches in Cootehill, Shercock and Carrickmacross, no funding has been assigned to the project in recent budgets either locally or nationally.
“Unfortunately that project was stopped by the previous Government’s inability to provide funding to the National Roads Authority to continue work that had commenced in County Louth and also work in planning and design by Monaghan and Cavan county councils,” said Deputy Smith, who added that fortunately there is good employment in affected areas.
“Much of the product that is exported from that part of Cavan and Monaghan goes to Greenore Port. We need a proper route to ensure those heavy vehicles can travel in reasonable comfort and at reasonable speed. I appeal to the Government to ensure, given the considerable challenges we face now arising from Brexit, those projects are advanced. If the Border counties are to be given some hope of dealing in a meaningful way with the particular challenges we face it is absolutely essential that our infrastructure is improved dramatically.”