Government confirms €1.5bn allocation for road infrastructure programme

The Irish government has confirmed allocation of €1.5bn for road maintenance, improvements and infrastructure projects in 2026, representing a 13% increase on the previous year's funding and supporting delivery of major schemes alongside ongoing maintenance programmes across national, regional and local road networks.

RTÉ reported that the allocation has been divided between national roads, receiving €800m, and regional and local roads, allocated €718m. Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien said the funding will enable multiple major new road projects to progress through delivery phases.

Under the national roads programme, €104m will be spent through Public Private Partnerships, €33m will support regular maintenance delivered by local authorities, whilst €659m will be channelled through Transport Infrastructure Ireland. TII funding will support road safety improvements, climate resilience measures and progression of current projects including the Adare Bypass, N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge, and M28 Cork to Ringaskiddy.

Of the €718m allocated to regional and local roads, €50m will fund strategic improvement projects, with €20m directed towards specific works including bridgeworks and traffic alleviation in towns. TII will spend €16.5m across 294 projects designed to address climate impact, alongside €14m on 280 low-cost remedial safety measures.

Over €60m has been allocated for roads funding and projects across Galway City and County. Additional funding may be allocated during the year to address damage from weather events, with repair works following Storm Chandra likely to cost approximately €50m.

Minister O'Brien noted that local authorities are advised to retain 10% of allocations to address severe weather events, describing this as common practice each year. He stated that current cost estimates remain provisional as assessment work continues across affected road networks.

Access complete breakdown of regional allocations and project-specific funding details.