219. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Transport to provide an update on the Athenry relief road project. [67226/26]

In accordance with Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993, as amended, the improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority. Work on such roads is funded from Councils' own resources, supplemented by State road grants.

To date, three of the four sections of the Athenry relief road have been constructed and are operational, with the most recent section opened on the 11 September 2026.

The Department has provided funding to Galway County Council under the strategic regional and local road grant programme to undertake surveys to allow the development of the preliminary design, including aspects of the bridge works required to facilitate the final section of the relief road. This work has been progressed in conjunction with Irish Rail.

The current proposal indicates that the existing bridge over the final road section may have to be raised and there may be additional impacts on other structures. The cost implications on the final section of the Athenry relief road and any possible impacts on the business case for the scheme will need to be assessed in line with the requirements of the Infrastructure Guidelines (formerly the Public Spending Code) and the Department’s Transport Appraisal Framework.

My Department continues to work closely with Galway County Council in order to determine how best to take the project forward while also ensuring the scheme is cost effective, delivers value for money, and meets the requirements of the Transport Appraisal Framework.