The needs of the national road network over the next 20 years have been identified in a new study which says that a quarter of primary roads will be below standard in 1999 and sets out a programme of work which will cost £6.1 billion between now and 2019.
The target of the National Road Needs Study, commissioned by the National Roads Authority, is the development of a primary and secondary road system which will reduce journey times by the elimination of traffic jams and bottlenecks.
The study was formally presented to the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Mr Dempsey, by Mr Liam Connellan, chairman of the board of the authority, yesterday.
Responding to its findings, Mr Dempsey said: "In reading the study, I was particularly struck by the fact that, despite all we have done, about one-quarter of the national primary network will be below the required standard at the end of 1999.
"It is also clear that, in the absence of further investment, the situation will deteriorate steadily due to growth in traffic volumes."
The study provided a comprehensive assessment of Ireland's infrastructural deficit, he said. It would be an important input into the National Development Plan for the period 2000 to 2006.
A sustainable road transport policy, the study argues, requires the integration of development needs with environmental protection and conservation. It also requires, where practicable, the diversion of traffic away from communities by the use of by-passes, and the upgrading of existing routes rather than the building of new ones where this is an option.
"Our recent strong economic growth has resulted in significant traffic growth. This traffic growth leads to congestion. This results in economic costs due to delays, increased accident costs and environmental impacts," the study points out.
The key features of the Irish transport system, it says, are its underdevelopment and generally poor quality, the dominance of the roads sector - which takes 89 per cent of all freight and 96 percent of all passengers - and the need for adequate access to ports and airports.
Traffic is estimated to be growing by 5 to 6 per cent a year.
"These growth rates suggest that roads will reach capacity earlier than envisaged. However, such growth rates are not sustainable indefinitely and must be attenuated as the saturation level is reached," the study says.
The objective of a national roads policy should be to balance efficiency with concern for the environment and to achieve "sustainable" development of the network while improving safety.