MPANI: Northern Ireland road network at ‘breaking point’
Warning issued over critical road maintenance funding and staff shortages that threaten safety and the economy
THE Mineral Products Association Northern Ireland (MPANI) has warned that Northern Ireland’s road network is now at a critical point, with dangerously low levels of maintenance funding and severe staff shortages within the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) threatening both road safety and the wider economy.
Recent assessments have revealed that the budget for essential road maintenance is now at its lowest level in decades – covering only a fraction of what is needed to maintain the network in a safe and serviceable condition. Local councils and contractors are reporting that resurfacing and defect repair programmes have been drastically scaled back or delayed, leaving communities and businesses facing deteriorating road surfaces and growing safety risks.
At the same time, DfI’s Transport & Roads Asset Management (TRAM) teams capacity to deliver essential maintenance work has been severely undermined by unprecedented staff shortages across engineering, inspection, and procurement teams. This is resulting in long delays to project approvals, slower emergency responses, and an increasing backlog of unrepaired defects.
Gordon Best, regional director of MPANI, said: ‘The situation has reached breaking point. Years of underinvestment, combined with a loss of experienced staff, mean that our road network is literally crumbling faster than it can be repaired. The safety of road users, the efficiency of our transport system, and the competitiveness of our economy are all being put at risk.’
He continued: ‘Well-maintained roads are vital for every aspect of daily life, from emergency services and school transport to freight, tourism, and rural access. Without urgent action from the Executive to restore adequate funding and rebuild delivery capacity within DfI, Northern Ireland faces a managed decline of its most important public asset now valued at some £40 billion.’
MPANI is calling for an immediate re-allocation of capital funding as part of the upcoming December Monitoring Round when ring-fenced and non-ring-fenced allocations for other capital projects that have not progressed, such as the A5, to ensure road maintenance budgets are restored to sustainable levels, alongside additional resources for a DfI workforce recovery plan to address critical vacancies and rebuild technical capability across the department.
The Association also warned that deferring essential maintenance is a false economy, with every £1 not spent on timely surface renewal costing up to £4 in future reconstruction and damage costs.
‘We need to see leadership and urgency,’ added Mr Best. ‘Safe, reliable roads are not a luxury – they are the foundation of a functioning economy and a basic expectation of the public. The time for short-term cuts has long passed.’
