Wicklow Sinn Féin launch campaign to reverse cuts to N81 upgrade project

Sinn Féin TD for Wicklow/East Carlow John Brady has said that the public meeting organised by Sinn Féin in Blessington on the funding for the N81 upgrade was a huge success. At the meeting a petition and campaign was launched to ensure that the funding be reinstated so the work on the long awaited N81 upgrade from Tallaght to Hollywood Cross can commence as soon as possible.

Teachta Brady said:

“Sinn Féin in West Wicklow organised a public meeting that took place on Tuesday evening in Blessington, this was in response to the recent news that the N81 from Tallaght to Hollywood Cross road improvement scheme is suspended and that the project is not included in the Government’s Capital Investment Plan which provides the financial and strategic framework for Transport Infrastructure Irelands activities until 2021. Therefore, the N81 is now not included in the national roads programme.

“There was a large turnout of local people who expressed concern and disappointment that West Wicklow is again not seen as a priority for the Government. Numerous people spoke of the dangerous condition of the road and gave their personal experiences.

“The plans which have been worked on now for 10 years would have seen an upgrade of 31km of the N81, with a focus on improving the road safety and journey times for motorists using the road. After extensive public consultation a preferred route has been selected and a 300 metre wide corridor along the route has been frozen from any other development.

“I have been lobbying Minister Shane Ross on the urgent need for works to take place on the N81. Locals and those familiar with the N81 will know it is one of the deadliest roads in the County. According to a briefing report which was released by the Kildare National Roads Office, the current N81 between Tallaght and Hollywood Cross has up to seven times the national average of head-on collisions, and two times the national average of single-vehicle crashes. The decision not to prioritise the N81 was a political one, as was the decision to close both Donard and Hollywood Garda Stations.

West Wicklow Sinn Féin rep Aidan Kinsella concluded:

“Unfortunately again, West Wicklow is being forgotten about by this Government. Our campaign on the N81 is part of a broader campaign to put the political spotlight on West Wicklow and ensure that the neglect ends. At our meeting on Tuesday we launched a petition which will be in all local shops, we also intend going door to door with it. We also have an online version of the petition which can be signed here, https://www.change.org/p/minister-for-transport-fund-upgrade-works-on-the-n81-between-hollywood-cross-and-tallaght. This will then be presented to the Minister for Transport.”