Road upgrade will stir local economic development
Wicklow Fine Gael TD, Andrew Doyle, welcomed the hosting of a meeting in Arklow today (Thursday) between the contractor who is building the new stretch of road, BAM, and local businesses who are interesting in seeking work, tendering for subcontracts and supplying materials for the project. Deputy Doyle recently attended the turning of the first sod on the N11 upgrade with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport at Jack White’s.
The N11 upgrade is a new 16.5 kilometre, four-lane dual carriageway linking the existing Arklow Bypass with the existing Rathnew/Ashford Bypass in Co. Wicklow. It is the last piece in the jigsaw on the N11 route that runs throughout the county down the east coast.
Speaking on the meeting, Deputy Doyle said, “Over €100 million has been allocated for this road works and I’ve been working on this to ensure that people and businesses in Wicklow are the beneficiaries of the important spin-offs for this project. This N11 upgrade is employing local people, such as Civil Foremen, Administrators, Health & Safety Officers, Trades and Quantity Surveyors. BAM are now beginning to source materials from local business. The Chambers of Commerce have been busy assisting in any way they can to ensure the local economy benefits as much as possible during this two year project.”
“It is very important for the local community that labour and services are provided by people and business from County Wicklow. I know the local authority recently met the contractor to make them aware of many public representatives position regarding this matter. This will ensure the County, in addition to getting the road, will see the most in economic benefits from the road upgrade.”
“This meeting created a significant opportunity for local businesses in getting involved in the N11 Rathnew-Arklow upgrade. This step is a significant milestone in securing further stimulus to the local economy and will provide a meaningful source of steady revenue for local suppliers over the coming two years while the project is completed.”
“This road will efficiently accommodate a large number of commuters, capitalise on the natural advantages from a tourism perspective, reducing travels times for residents and will increase the attractiveness of County Wicklow as a place to do business”
“For many years, I mounted a heavy lobbying campaign for the completion of this bypass. The years of pressure and continuous work are finally paying dividends as now we’ve turned the first sod, early stages of construction have now commenced and the main contractor is now seeking input from the local business community”, concluded Deputy Doyle.