Business case for Derry-Donegal road links under €750bn EU TEN-T network due in early 2023

Three sections of the road network in the Laggan area have been identified as priority routes under the European-wide road scheme.

Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Niall Collins, said the roads will be considered by the Department of Transport in the first quarter of next year.

“The trans-European transport network, TEN-T, is a selection of strategic transport corridors throughout the EU that have been identified to play a key role in the mobility of goods and passengers through the EU,” said Deputy Collins.

Three stretches of the Donegal network have been prioritised, he added.

This includes an upgrade to the N56-N13 Letterkenny to Manorcunningham section, as well as a realignment of the N14, which runs behind Derry from Manor to Lifford, to ensure it connects seamlessly with the A5.

Deputy Collins was asked for an update on the road schemes by Donegal TD Joe McHugh who asked: “I also want to raise the issue of the trans-European transport network, TEN-T, bypassing Stranorlar and Ballybofey - the twin towns, the connectivity between Lifford and Letterkenny, and the Bunnagee link road.

"We have been waiting a long time for this companion link with the A5, for want of a different expression. It is important and it has to be delivered.”

The Minister provided details of the three sections.

“The N15-N13 Ballybofey to Stranorlar bypass section consists of 9.5 km of mainline and 5.2 km of linking roads.

“Ballybofey and Stranorlar are connected via a multi-span arch bridge carrying the N15 over the River Finn.

“The N56-N13 Letterkenny to Manorcunningham section applies to the N56 and two legacy sections of the N13 south through the townland of Lurgybrack, serving the Atlantic corridor, and east towards Manorcunningham, serving the main route to Derry, Belfast and Dublin via NI. It consists of 6.3 km of mainline and 2.3 km of link roads.

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“The N14 Manorcunningham to Lifford section project begins at the junction between the N13 and N14. The majority of the project is on the N14 which connects Donegal and Letterkenny to Northern Ireland, Belfast and Dublin, through the Border crossing at Lifford in Donegal and Strabane in Tyrone,” he said.

The government hopes to be in a position to consider approving the schemes within months.

“A peer review of the design and environmental assessment for all sections was held in September 2022. The project business case is expected to be ready for submission to the Department for approval at gate 1 of the public spending code in quarter 1 of 2023,” said Deputy Collins.

The TEN-T ‘Core Network’ includes the most important connections, linking the most important nodes, and is to be completed by 2030.

Its ‘Comprehensive Network’ covers all European regions and is to be completed by 2050.

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