The N24 national primary road is a vital economic and social corridor across south Tipperary. It is also of strategic regional importance, running as it does from Limerick to south Tipperary and on to Kilkenny, Waterford and the port of Rosslare. An upgrade to motorway status is essential and urgent. Tipperary town, Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir are choked with traffic and are crying out for bypasses along this route. This road project is in two sections, consisting of a western section from Cahir to Limerick Junction-Oola and an eastern section from Cahir to Waterford.

My first meeting with the Ministers and officials on the Tipperary town bypass and the eastern route was over 20 years ago in the offices of Tipperary Urban District Council at Dan Breen House. Thankfully, this section has progressed, with design commencing eventually in 2019. Phase 3 of that development - final design and evaluation - is due for completion early next year. Tipperary County Council, the lead authority on this section, needs funding in 2026 to take this project to oral hearing and adjudication with a view to commencing construction in late 2027.

Unfortunately, the eastern section from Cahir from Waterford has not progressed. It is crucial for the two Tipperary towns of Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir. The Clonmel inner relief road, or the Frank Drohan Road as it is known, is effectively a car park for large parts of the day, forcing huge volumes of traffic to use an ad hoc southern route through the hugely built-up area of the old bridge. Carrick-on-Suir is choked with thousands of vehicles, including all HGVs and vans passing along the Clonmel Road and O'Mahony Avenue and on to the Waterford road, all of which are built-up areas. This project has been suspended twice and is currently stalled due to a lack of funding. The road is essential for road safety reasons as well. It represents about 1% of the road network but 24% of deaths. I ask that funding be continued for the N24 Cahir to Limerick Junction-Oola section in 2026 and that funding be provided in 2026 to resume the design of the N24 Cahir to Waterford project.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I know that a number of Deputies in his constituency, including Deputies Ryan O'Meara and Michael Murphy, have also been focused on this. This is a project we have been endeavouring to progress. I know the last Minister for Transport was probably not as enthusiastic about road construction as others, and the idea was possibly bypasses and so on. I will talk to the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. The Deputy is correct in saying that better roads make for better road safety. That is certainly the case. There is a lot of congestion on that road. We will see what we can do. There is a huge investment programme. Only a number of weeks ago, the Minister announced a sectoral plan for transport under the national development plan. The list of projects is enormous, with huge investment. Obviously, those projects will be staggered and sequenced. The Deputy is asking for funding for the Cahir to Limerick Junction section to be continued in 2026. I would anticipate that that should not be a challenge. Has the Deputy heard to the contrary that it will not be continued? To be fair to the outgoing Minister, work on it was begun. I will go to the Minister and see whether we can see what the story is and whether we can accelerate it.

The Deputy also wants design to start with regard to the Cahir to Waterford section. Again, I will have to go back to the Minister to see where we are in terms of the prioritisation of this project. There is a whole range of projects. Construction inflation has eaten into some of the budgets and that has been a significant factor. Nonetheless, hugely increased allocations are going to road transport and public transport more generally. I would like to think that we should be in a position to spare funding for this road, which is a very important artery, to enable in particular the continuation of the work on the Cahir to Limerick Junction section. I will ask the Minister to come back to me about the Cahir to Waterford section.

In fairness, the Minister has indicated that he hopes to be in a position to continue the funding for the Cahir to Limerick Junction-Oola section in 2026 but he was not able to give the same indication about the Cahir to Waterford section. Funding for the Cahir to Waterford section is crucial for economic, social and road safety reasons. This section is costing about three lives per year. The project has been suspended twice, costing the Exchequer about €10 million. There is significant public frustration with serious traffic congestion in Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir, and 2,500 land holdings have been sterilised. We understand that motorways cannot be built overnight but we do need sufficient funds in 2026 for this stretch of the road to recommence design and, hopefully, commence construction by about 2030.

I again thank the Deputy for raising this important issue and confirming that the Minister is relatively positive and optimistic about the continuation of funding for the section from Cahir to Limerick Junction. The Deputy made an important point, which sometimes gets overlooked when it comes to road construction, about the road safety dimension. That is critical. My understanding is that Tipperary County Council is progressing the Cahir to Limerick Junction section in partnership with Limerick County Council. It is being managed by the mid-west national road design office. I understand the Minister has engaged with public representatives about the Cahir to Waterford section. I will talk to the Minister about that. I appreciate the reasons the Deputy raised this matter.