Burke assured upgrade of N4

Deputy Peter Burke, Fine Gael TD for Longford Westmeath has been assured that the Government will be confirming the upgrade of the N4 from Mullingar to Longford this coming Friday at the launch of the Capital Plan.  

Burke stated that he has worked on securing a commitment for this important road work network to be developed since his election.

“Upon my election, it was clear that the road network needed to be improved and upgraded across the constituency and real investment was needed to open up towns across Longford and Westmeath.  I sought commitments from then Minister for Housing Simon Coveney, as well as speaking to my colleague Paschal Donoghue about this investment. I met with Minister Murphy numerous times since his election to discuss plans for Longford Westmeath and I am confident that positive news will be forthcoming this week.

“Last May, I tabled a debate in the Dáil with Minister Shane Ross regarding the importance of the upgrade of the N4 to Longford and beyond and the Minister thanked me for raising this issue and keeping it on the agenda. I have followed up with Government subsequent to this.  

“Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has been kept abreast of these plans and I reminded him of the extension when he was in Westmeath last summer and again over the Christmas period.  He has a keen personal interest in the route since his time as Minister for Transport and has been very supportive of my calls for clarification on the funding.  I again spoke with the Taoiseach last week and he assured me upgrading the N4 made perfect sense.

“The road network is increasingly important to towns across the constituency and linking towns east of Mullingar directly with Dublin will make the constituency a lot more accessible.  Commuters between Mullingar and Longford will now have a far safer and quicker journey and I believe this part of the country deserves this significant investment and the same quality road network that much of the rest of the country enjoys.  

“The economy continues to improve and due to the tough decisions made by the last Fine Gael Government, and the sacrifices and resilience shown by people of this constituency during the hard times, we now are in the favourable position that we can spend money on our infrastructure and invest significantly in our future.

"Gains are being made by all sectors and I know Minister Murphy and the Government have ambitious investment plans which will improve the lives of people in Westmeath, Longford and across the country. Dublin receded from the recession before the rest of the country caught up, and I continue to be dogged in ensuring that we in the midlands are kept on the Government’s agenda and that further investment will follow this week’s announcement.”