Funding concerns for M11 extension at Oylegate
WITH the project having hit several snags and delays already, there are now very real concerns around whether the appropriate level of funding will be available to complete the long-awaited continuation of the M11 motorway from Oylegate to Rosslare Harbour.
An explosion in freight traffic to the port in the wake of Brexit has added urgency to the calls for the final stretch of the motorway to be completed, as have the increase in crashes along the N11 and N25.
However, having had to go back to the drawing board and route selection for a second time, the latest update on the road was that we won’t see a shovel in the ground until 2027 at the earliest.
At a meeting of Wexford County Council back in July, Roads Director Eamonn Hore said that he had no further information on funding, but “I don’t see a difficulty with it yet”.
However, recent comments made by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) chief executive Peter Walsh were enough to spark concerns in Wexford. He stated that certainty over multi-annual funding was required so that TII could plan in line with long-term delivery timelines for large capital projects – the M11 from Oylegate to Rosslare being one of them.
Fine Gael councillor and general election candidate Cathal Byrne expressed some grave concerns.
“In my own area, people are very worried about the progression of projects such as the Oylegate to Rosslare motorway,” he said. “These are projects which have already caused frustration because of their slow progression to date.”
Pointing out recent supports for our national broadcaster, Cllr Byrne stressed that there was no reason why an appropriate arrangement couldn’t be reached with TII to ensure major projects could proceed on a stable footing.
“Multi-annual funding is provided in many instances by Government to provide for long-term stability, most recently to RTÉ,” he said.
“There is no logical explanation as to why it shouldn’t be allocated to such critical infrastructure projects. We cannot allow a situation to develop where we are forced to choose between projects, or where large projects are being consistently put on the long finger because the department didn’t adequately fund TII.”
Cllr Byrne says that business groups have also expressed major concerns that “a failure to swiftly progress roads projects could have a detrimental impact on businesses and livelihoods”.
“There are numerous projects contained in the latter half of the National Development Plan, the planning of which needs to begin on urgently,” he said.
“There have been far too many fatalities and tragedies on our roads over the last number of years, and adequately funding our road network is an investment in road safety.
“I am calling on Minister Eamon Ryan to commit to providing multi-annual funding to TII.”
Given the importance of Rosslare Europort as a gateway to Europe, and the fact that Oylegate to Rosslare would represent the final stretch in a motorway network that would span the entire east coast from Belfast to Rosslare, it has previously been suggested that the government would look favourably on the M11 project and that it would be a priority when it came time to loosen the purse strings.
However, with the TII chief seeking certainty on funding, there’s no doubt that the people of Wexford would also like some certainty that the money will be forthcoming when a planning application is submitted for the project in Q3 of 2026.