Fine Gael town councillor, Alan Shaw has expressed concern following a letter issued by the Department of Transport to Athlone Town Council in which the Transport Minister fails to commit funding for the re-alignment works at Garrycastle Bridge in 2011.
“This Government has provided Westmeath County Council with €2.6m in funding between 2000 and 2010 towards preparatory design work including professional fees. The Minister in his letter to the town clerk is clearly prepared to walk away from this project if the NRA does not deem it a priority relative to the demands for grant funding in other local authorities.
“This is a perfect example of the extent of waste of taxpayer’s money if the Government is not prepared to see this project through and provide Westmeath County Council with the necessary funding of €4.15m under the Specific Improvements Grant Scheme,” explained Cllr Shaw.
Cllr Shaw has called for a major reform of the system of budgeting at all levels of Government whereby projects should be planned, budgeted for and seen through to completion. “If the Minister is concerned about ensuring that the €2.6m spent to date is not wasted, then there should be no hesitation in his letter to recommend that the funds are being made available,” he said.
Cllr Shaw in a motion at the October meeting of Athlone Town Council had requested the council to write to the Minister for Transport on this issue. Cllr Shaw has been raising the matter regularly since his election to Athlone Town Council in June 2009. “The road in question is a strategic regional road and significantly restricted in terms of capacity. It causes daily traffic congestion for families travelling to and from schools, colleges, and work. The proposed upgrading is also of huge importance for the Creggan area plan which was passed by Westmeath County Council in recent months,” he added.
