NRA Annual Report

The National Roads Authority, the body charged with delivering the Roads
Programme under the National Development Plan launched its annual
report for 2002 and Programme for 2003 recently.

NRA chairman Peter Malone

The National Roads Authority spent £1,135 million on the Roads Programme bringing eight major road projects to completion last year. It also launched a five-year restoration programme for national secondary roads and carried out remedial measures at numerous high-risk accident locations throughout the country.

Speaking at the launch of the NRA Annual Report 2002 and Programme for 2003, chairman Peter Malone said the delivery of transport infrastructure was a key component in protecting Ireland's competitiveness in a global context.

"Keeping transport costs down is vital to our competitiveness in the global context, thereby helping to see off the threat to our high employment levels and improved standard of living posed by the downturn in the international economy," Malone commented.

The NRA chairman conceded that the Roads Programme won't be completed in the lifetime of the current National Development Plan, which is due to expire in 2006, mainly due to funding difficulties. He stated it would probably take until 2010 to complete the programme and urged the Government to continue to invest in infrastructure despite the economic slowdown and tight budgetary restraints.

"Prudent investment now in infrastructure deficits that inhibit our competitiveness and reduce our quality of life has the capacity to repay itself many times over by positioning the country so as to take full advantage of the upturn in the world economy when its inevitably occurs,"Malone opined.

To that end Malone sees the establishment of the Department of Transport in 2002 as of significant importance. He commented: “The establishment of the Department of Transport reflects the importance the Government attaches to efficient transport systems in the economic and social well-being of the nation and the seriousness of their commitment to improving conditions for all road and public transport users."

The NRA spent 1135 billion euro on the Roads Programme in 2002

During 2002 the NRA completed eight road schemes with Government and EU financial support. It expects to complete a further 13 scheme in 2003. Three schemes on the M1 Dublin / Belfast Road - Cloghran to Lissenhall, Lissenhall to Balbriggan and the Drogheda Bypass have all been completed.

It is now possible to travel on continuous motorway from Dublin to south of Dundalk, a distance of 72 km, in less than 50 minutes.
This year the NRA has a budget of £1,263 million at its disposal, which should keep the momentum going and allow it to deliver more high quality roads. The authority expects to start seven new and complete 13 new schemes this year.

Critics of the Roads Programme say it is behind schedule and hopelessly over budget but the NRA strongly defends its position. It claims it has been pro-active in seeking to maximise value for money and is committed to the ongoing review of practices and procedures in this regard.

The NRA's performance on programme management and cost control was examined during 2002 by Fitzpatrick Associates on behalf of the Department of Finance, the consultants acknowledged that the NRA has a strong project management focus and concluded that factors, which are in the direct control of the NRA would appear to be well managed.

The consultants also recognised the contribution of the NRA in getting the Roads Programme as mandated in the National Development Plan up and running and operating effectively on the ground.

The NRA delivered eight new road schemes in 2002

Looking to the future, the NRA concedes there are challenging times ahead, not least because of a lack of funding. NRA chief Executive Michael Tobin believes the Government needs to move away from the annual budgetary allocation approach to a "multi-annual rolling programme with specific funding commitments and deliverables."

"This could offer programme management benefits, as well as greater certainty regarding the scheduling of projects to the advantage of local authorities, contractors, consultants and affected property owners, he remarked.

The work of the NRA is carried out in a difficult and contentious often environment, where certain individuals and lobby groups will be adversely affected by road scheme projects. However, the NRA asserts that it is its function to deliver road schemes where the common good is served .

The Chief Executive elaborated: "The authority is conscious of the customer service dimension to its work and the activities undertaken on its behalf by local authorities. As part of ongoing efforts to promote greater awareness and understanding of procedures and practices relating to all aspects of national road scheme planning and construction, the NRA has produced a Guide to Process and Code of Practice."

On road safety the NRA has delivered on all tasks and targets assigned to it under the Government's "Road to Safety Strategy", 1998 to 2002. It has completed remedial measures at 418 high-risk accident locations throughout the country, implemented a five-year traffic calming programme in towns and villages; introduced Safety Audit procedures for road scheme design and construction and established a road weather information system for road users.

"The NRA is fully determined to play its part in the pursuit of the Government's road safety objectives as an integral element of our commitment to deliver better and safer national roads," the report concluded.