New DIT Campus At Grangegorman A Boost For Dublin West Students
Joan Burton TD, Minister for Social Protection, today (17th July) welcomed the government’s announcement that it was investing an additional €2.25 billion in job-rich public infrastructure projects.
Minister Burton said she was particularly pleased that the Grangegorman DIT Educational Facility was being upgraded as many of her constituents attended the institute.
“The Dublin Institute of Technology’s Grangegorman Educational Facility, currently the largest provider of higher education in the State, is located in 39 sites across the capital, some in poor condition. We now plan to consolidate these sites into one single educational facility. Stage one of that consolidation process will be progressed in Phase 1 of this stimulus package,’’ Minister Burton said.
“This development also represents an opportunity for substantial development and rejuvenation of an important inner city urban quarter. It will also link in with the Luas as part of the proposed Luas interconnector with a stop provided at the Grangegorman Campus,’’ the Minister continued.
“The upgraded institute will be a fantastic resource for people in Dublin West and elsewhere,’’ Minister Burton added.
Today’s announcement is the culmination of intensive efforts to identify projects that are realistic, credible and deliverable.
“This Government is committed to getting people back to work and securing real, domestic growth. This investment is in addition to our €17 billion Infrastructure and Capital Investment Framework,’’ Minister Burton said.
The package will involve raising €1.4 billion for investment in public infrastructure projects in Ireland from the European Investment Bank (EIB), the National Pension Reserve Fund (NPRF), domestic banks and other potential sources of funding.
A further €850 million, funded from some of the proceeds of the sale of State assets and from the new licencing arrangement for the National Lottery, will be invested in supporting employment enhancing and commercial projects and augmenting existing Exchequer investment plans.
The projects selected span a number of sectors and will be spread throughout the country. This will help to maximise the benefits to communities and to meet clearly indentified local needs.
Education: The package contains €280 million of investment in the Education sector. Two new PPP schools bundles will be delivered. Each bundle contains approximately 6 new or replacement schools, most of these at post-primary level, and will be located across the country from Clare to Kildare, Cork and Louth.
Health: €115 million for two bundles of primary care centres will be progressed. These bundles will each comprise up to 10 centres.
Transport: In the transport sector €850 million will be invested in upgrading the national motorway and primary route network. In the west, the N17/N18 Gort to Tuam will provide 57 kilometres of motorway providing a bypass of Clarinbridge, Claregalway and Tuam. The M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy project will involve the upgrading of 26 kilometres of road to motorway and will include a bypass of Enniscorthy. The N25 New Ross Bypass will provide approximately 13.6 kilometres of new road from Glenmore at the eastern border of Kilkenny and crossing over the River Barrow via a new bridge into Wexford. Another priority project for the Government is the Galway City ring road which is subject to legal proceedings. It is on hold pending the outcome of these proceedings and will be progressed as an additional PPP project depending on the outcome of the legal proceedings.
Justice: €190 million will be invested in the State Pathology Laboratory, two new Garda headquarters and a number of courthouses. Refurbishment and extension works to existing courthouses will be carried out in Cork, Mullingar and Waterford. New courthouse buildings will be provided in Drogheda, Letterkenny, Limerick and Wexford. New Garda divisional headquarters will be built in line with the Minister for Justice’s priorities.
For reasons of commercial sensitivity, details of the expected value of individual projects are not included.