

We need to re-address the regional imbalance

Peter O’Dwyer’s article “Proposed Cork-Limerick M20 motorway would pay off for State” simply states the obvious (Irish Examiner, January 16).

Why therefore is our Dublin-based government sidelining this vital infrastructural project?

The West coast of Ireland badly needs a government supported strategy to counter the imbalanced planning that is sucking the lifeblood of the west into the greater Dublin region.

One must suspect that because the bulk of our politicians and planners live and are based in the eastern region they are prioritising Eastern infrastructural projects.

Our motorway system now looks like an outstretched hand with the fingers pointing from Dublin at Belfast, Galway, Limerick, Cork, and the South East, with dangerously inadequate roads connecting these fingers.

Lip-service is being paid to the concept of an Atlantic corridor.

The Atlantic Corridor road project was announced as part of the Transport 21 project launch in 2005, and was due to be completed by 2015, eventually linking Waterford in the South-East to Letterkenny in the North-West by high-quality dual carriageway or motorway.

The Cork/Limerick section of this project linking the country’s second and third largest population centres, is by far the most urgent section, and it needs to be made an election issue.

Edward Horgan









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