Mayo councillor questions new €170m. N5 road start

A SINN Fèin member of Mayo County Council has questioned the government's commitment to starting work on the new N5 motorway between Turlough and Westport next September.

Councillor Joe McHale said his information is that the project is 'on the back boiler'.

Speaking on Community Radio Castlebar (CRCfm), he said the government had not signed off on the funding for the scheme.

The Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring announced in January that the final tenders for the work will be received in May with the contract being awarded in August/September and a contractor being on site in September.

However Councillor McHale questioned the minister's timeline on the basis that the funding is not fully allocated to start the work next autumn and delays are inevitable.

Eugene McCormack, a Castlebar Fine Gael candidate in next May's local elections, said Councillor McHale had no evidence whatsoever to support his claims.