£4m boost for NI roads maintenance

Transport Minister Danny Kennedy has announced a £4 million funding extension for road resurfacing in Northern Ireland.

The Minister (pictured) announced a £4m extension of funding for structural maintenance until the end of October, which will be used for resurfacing those parts of the road network where the need is greatest.

He said: “The steps I am taking will allow my Department’s essential road resurfacing programme to continue into the Autumn months, as well as providing some immediate respite for the industry. It is a responsible decision in the context of the financial problems facing the Department.

“In light of the need to maintain our road network at a reasonable level and to retain skills and capacity in the local construction industry which is currently facing real difficulties, I have decided to extend funding for structural maintenance until end of October in the expectation of a monitoring round."

As a result of the reduced capital funding for the Department, funding was only available to enable major capital resurfacing works until end August. In previous years substantial capital funding has been made available in monitoring rounds.