Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister for Infrastructure to detail any assessment she has made of the resilience of transport infrastructure to flooding and coastal erosion.
Minister for Infrastructure: Where coastal erosion or flooding impacts directly on my Department’s key transport infrastructure, including roads, railways and sea defences, these assets are managed through a risk-based programme of inspection, maintenance and targeted intervention to support their safe and continued operation. My Department’s coastal management responsibilities are limited to approximately 110 km of defences for coastal roads, 26 km of coastal sea defences, two tidal barriers and around 34 km of sea defences protecting the railway network.
Sea defences immediately adjacent to a carriageway are treated as part of the road network because they form an integral part of the road structure. These are generally hard defences which may require repair following storm damage but are not subject to erosion in the same way as unprotected coastline. Where erosion threatens sections of unprotected road, DfI will monitor the risk and seek the most appropriate remedy, working with other bodies where required and in line with the responsibilities of the relevant asset owner.
ENDS
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