The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring, has today published a list of over 400 private roads which have been selected for upgrade under the 2018 Local Improvement Scheme (LIS).

Minister Ring allocated €10 million for road improvements to county councils around the country as part of the 2018 LIS scheme.

The lists of projects which the councils plan to undertake under the scheme this year have now been submitted to the Department of Rural and Community Development.

Detailed information regarding the projects selected by the local authorities in each county can be found on the department’s website.

A county-by-county breakdown was also provided by the department.

Welcoming the details submitted to his department, Minister Ring said: “The Local Improvement Scheme is about improving small roads and laneways in rural Ireland which are not under the normal maintenance of the local authorities.

This scheme is a lifeline for people living in rural areas, because it directly improves their access to and from their homes and farms.

The minister noted that many people who live and work in rural areas use such roads every time they enter or leave their home or farm – so the condition of their access road has a considerable impact on them.

“Investing in the improvement of these roads really makes a positive impact on people’s quality of life in rural areas,” he said.

The minister continued: “I reintroduced dedicated funding for the LIS in September 2017, after a gap of eight years. I know that the reintroduction of the scheme has already made a huge difference for rural communities around the country.

“The €10 million which I have allocated to the scheme this year will fund improvements to over 400 roads around the country.”

Minister Ring noted that the funding builds on the €17 million provided in 2017 and brings to over 1,100 the number of roads which have been supported since last September.

He added: “I cannot overstate how important local connectivity is in order to enable rural Ireland to function well.

“The Action Plan for Rural Development prioritises improving rural infrastructure and connectivity, and continuing to support an LIS scheme is just one of the measures we are taking in that regard.

Many lanes and boreens which link private homes and farms are not on the public road network and so are not maintained by the local authorities.

“The Local Improvement Scheme is therefore a very valuable support for rural families and businesses that use these roads on a daily basis.”