The head of the TII has revealed the N5 Ballaghaderreen Scramogue by-pass project may need government approval to proceed again due to rising costs.
Peter Walsh told a meeting of the Oireachtas Transport Committee that because the contractor for the project, Roadbridge, was now receivership he was limited in what he could say about the future of the project.
Following a query from TD Claire Kerrane, he did confirm that financial issues faced by the firm will have no impact on CPO payment due to landowners along the 35km route.
However, he warned that if Roadbridge cannot be saved through receivership, the project could face a number of significant challenges - including starting the tendering process all over again
If the receiver is unable to reinvigorate the business that was Roadbridge, we may well be looking at having to go out to tender again, going out to tender may produce a very different price, producing a different price may change the business case , which may require government approval.
For me to make promises when there could be a number of other hurdles created , which we'd previously cleared, would be wrong.
