By Lauren Harte
There are fears that the Ballybofey to Stranorlar by-pass could be put on hold as part of government spending cuts totalling €450m announced yesterday (Tuesday).
It seems increasing likely that the project is in danger of being further delayed, possibly by another few years as the Government strives to meet current expenditure pressures.
Construction work was due to commence in January 2010 with the road expected to be open by December 2011 but this could be extended as far as 2015 if delayed under government plans.
The project, which has been in the pipeline for several years and is estimated to cost in the region of €90 million to complete, will involve the design and construction of approximately 14.5km new road and a 1.2km link route, connecting the bypass to Ballybofey and the existing N15.
While local councillors in the Finn Valley are hopeful that the project won’t be put on the back burner in the near future, Patrick McGowan says he will be putting extra pressure on Donegal representatives in the Dáil to ensure the works go ahead as planned.
“The by-pass is very much warranted and a lot of money has been prioritized for it to go ahead. We will be keeping the pressure on because this is not just solely for the Finn Valley but something that will ultimately benefit the entire county,” he said.