‘Trouble’ down the road

High stakes meeting with national politicians

The condition of local and regional roads and the need to repair them has reached crisis point, with mounting pressure on local TDs and senators to take action.

Cavan councillors are set to demand immediate action at a showdown meeting next week, on Monday March 9.

The frustration follows months and years of campaigning for additional government funding for local and regional roads. Similar issues have been flagged in neighbouring County Monaghan, and meetings demanded.

'No more PR visits'

The Cavan councillors' hardline stance follows a high-stakes meeting between a Fianna Fáil delegation and Minister for Transport, Darragh O'Brien. According to John Paul Feeley, this was a key opportunity for councillors - joined by Director of Services Paddy Connaughton - to address directly the state of Cavan’s local and regional roads.

While road allocations have increased since 2016, now surpassing the highest point in 2008 before the economic crash by around half a million euro, the current funding still falls far short of what’s needed to maintain the roads once inflation and other external factors are taken into account.

“We went up there with one goal: to make sure the Minister and his officials had all the facts, figures, and data to understand just how bad the situation is,” explains Cllr Feeley, who also serves as Cathaoirleach and previously tabled a motion calling for such an engagement with the constituency's Oireachtas members.

“We’ve had ministers visit us before - Minister for State James Lawless, and his predecessor Jack Chambers - both of whom are now Senior Ministers. At that time, Minister [Eamon] Ryan was in charge, and we were told he had a particular interest in public transport, so only a portion of funding was going to roads.”

In hindsight, Cllr Feeley claims, those visits were mere “PR exercises”.

“We were promised things, and never got them.”

Cllr Feeley’s frustration is echoed by his fellow council colleagues, with the lack of action to improve the situation reaching boiling point.

'Action, not excuses'

The core issue raised in the Dublin meeting was the chronic lack of road funding. Cavan’s rural landscape and lack of alternative transport options make the county especially dependent on its roads. As Cllr Feeley points out, the current funding barely scratches the surface of what’s required to address Cavan’s nearly 3,000 kilometres of deteriorating roads, over 95% of which are local and regional routes.

Currently, more than €1.5M is being spent on the Virginia and Belturbet bypasses, with another €750,000 allocated to national primary and minor works. An additional €5.3M is being invested in national secondary road pavement works, with ongoing work on the N55 Ballinagh Relief Road and the R188 Rathkenny East-West Road.

The council’s own resources increased by €600,000 (26%) in 2024, but that doesn’t account for an additional €2.6M in payroll costs or the nearly €3M being spent on local and regional improvements.

“We’re not asking for Cavan to get more than other counties,” Cllr Feeley clarified. “Cavan is not the only county facing this problem. Other counties are fighting their own battles for road funding too.”

However, Cllr Feeley stresses that the stakes are higher in Cavan. “Without alternative transport options, the state of our roads directly impacts people’s daily lives. We need to fix this now, not just for the people of Cavan, but for the safety of everyone who depends on these roads.”

'Reps must show up'

Cllr Feeley emphasised that the upcoming meeting will be a call for the constituency's TDs and senators to prove they are fighting for Cavan. “We’ve raised these issues time and time again. Now, we need our local TDs and senators to stand up and deliver.”

Councillors, he added, are no longer willing to accept vague promises. “We can’t just keep waiting for another PR visit,” Feeley continued. “We need action. We need results.”

'Patching a problem'

With funding allocations from the Department of Transport arriving late, Cllr Feeley suggests the council has had little time to address the issues properly.

“Realistically, we won’t have the plans approved until April, which means we’re just keeping the roads from completely falling apart.”

Worryingly, he admits that this will likely be another year of basic maintenance. “It’s not enough to fix the problems, just enough to keep things from getting worse. We need real funding, and we need it now.”

Pressure builds

While the recent increase in local government funding is helpful, it still doesn't address the county’s dire road needs. With severe storms, increasing rainfall, and the gradual decay of infrastructure, the situation is worsening. “We’ve fallen behind on maintaining our roads for years,” Cllr Feeley said. “The damage is piling up, and it’s only going to get worse with the weather patterns we’ve been seeing."

If national politicians fail to act, Cllr Feeley fears the situation will only deteriorate further.

“If we don’t act now, we’ll be in real trouble down the road. The people of Cavan deserve better, and it’s time for the government to step up and deliver.”