Slane bypass stays on Govt’s radar

Dear sir - The economic boom in Ireland brought with it an unprecedented level of road-building in Ireland. Unfortunately, one road that was desperately needed was sadly neglected during this time - the Slane bypass. It was therefore with some trepidation that our group, the Bypass Slane Campaign, opened the Transport section of the Government's Four-Year Plan to see what the fate of this long-overdue project would be. We were extremely encouraged to see that the N2 Slane Bypass was mentioned specifically in a list of five schemes, all described as 'high priority', and scheduled to commence after 2011, subject to planning permission. We realise that, with the current economic downturn, capital budgets to fund infrastructural projects will be significantly reduced. However, we do not believe that the NRA will be so starved of funding that they will be out of business, so, given the very small scale of the Slane bypass relative to other national projects of the past decade, we fully expect that the money allocated for roads be spent where it is urgently needed - in Slane. A general election in Ireland is now imminent and it is extremely likely that this country will have a change of government. Given that representatives from the major political parties have made submissions to An Bord Pleanala in favour of the Slane bypass, the residents of Slane will expect their local TDs to deliver this vital piece of infrastructure for the safety of the community and the travelling public. The Slane Bypass is a small project, both in terms of its scale and its cost relative to other national road projects. Its positive impact on the village of Slane will be profound. Yours, Michele Power, Bypass Slane Campaign, Slane Cottage, Drogheda Road, Slane.