Government announces €40m funding boost to repair roads damaged by Storm Chandra
The Government has announced an additional €40 million in funding to repair regional and local roads badly damaged during Storm Chandra earlier this year, with local authorities across nine counties set to benefit from the investment.
The funding announced by Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien and Ministers of State Seán Canney and Jerry Buttimer, follows assessments carried out in March that found around 130 roads required complete reconstruction, while more than 440 others sustained significant damage. Several bridges were also damaged and left impassable following the severe weather.
The Department of Transport said the funding will allow the worst affected local authorities to carry out essential repair works and restore regional and local roads impacted by the storm.
The Forty Foot at Sandycove, Co Dublin, during Storm Chandra. Pic: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos
Counties receiving allocations include Carlow, Kilkenny, Laois, Louth, Monaghan, Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow. Wexford will receive the largest allocation of €13.49 million, followed by Wicklow (€10.72 million) and Waterford (€5.53 million).
Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien said the Government remains committed to supporting councils in repairing damage caused by increasingly frequent extreme weather events.
Minister of State Seán Canney said protecting regional and local roads is vital for road safety and for the communities and businesses that rely on them every day, Minister of State Jerry Buttimer also said the funding would help keep rural communities connected by allowing priority repair works to proceed.
Source: Department of Transport
The latest allocation comes on top of the Government’s wider investment in Ireland’s road network this year, with more than €1.5 billion committed to national, regional and local roads in 2026.
The Department says the additional €40 million is specifically intended to address the exceptional damage caused by Storm Chandra and enable affected local authorities to restore critical infrastructure as quickly as possible.
