Making big investments 

Under the National Development Plan (NDP) 2021–2030, the Government is pledging €1.3 billion to flood relief schemes. This, coupled with the Office of Public Works - NDP Sectoral Plan 2026 - 2030, raises total investment in flood risk management and climate adaptation to a record €1.845 billion. However, investment alone will not guarantee resilience. This must be supported by a comprehensive understanding of the conditions that influence how infrastructure performs under climate stress. 

A full industry-wide understanding of the ground conditions beneath Ireland’s infrastructure is necessary to ensuring it can cope with increasingly complex climate patterns. 

Why we need to look at what lies beneath 

The discussion around infrastructure resilience tends to focus on the visible elements such as road surfaces, drainage upgrades and flood walls, and not on the ground beneath them. This is where the conversation must change.  

As storm surges are becoming more frequent and the ground experiences increased saturation, there are higher risks of settlement, landslides and void formations, which are not always visible until a failure occurs. Even though flood defence structures may perform exactly as designed structurally, if they are built on inadequately assessed ground, they may still fail because the ground beneath them has shifted. Embankments supporting roads or railways can also lose bearing capacity gradually before showing any surface signs. 

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII)’s document ‘Managing Geotechnical Risk' mandates ground risk assessment for all national road and greenway projects, stating that geotechnical risks must be identified, reported and managed from the earliest stage of any project. The challenge, however, is that currently the equivalent standards do not apply consistently to all categories of critical infrastructure, leaving many asset owners without an official mandate to assess ground conditions. 

Being proactive, not reactive 

Taking a proactive approach to ground-related issues is more cost-effective in the long run. Emergency repair work after a storm often costs several times more than preventative measures. Additionally, other problems can evolve as a result, including disruption to services, and the reputational and legal consequences of a failure that could have been prevented. 

Asset owners and local authorities working within NDP-funded programmes need to act now. When projects progress from the planning stage into construction, ground assessments must be part of the initial process and not after a problem has occurred.  

Mainmark specialises in ground engineering solutions, using non-invasive ground improvement, void filling, and resin injection methods that can be applied to existing assets with minimal disruption to operations. The ability to assess, strengthen and re-level subgrades without major excavation or service interruption makes proactive treatment a genuinely viable solution. 

Building strong foundations in Ireland’s infrastructure 

Ireland’s infrastructure is currently attracting big investments but is also facing the challenges of intensifying weather patterns and climate change. Government policies are aiming to make Irish infrastructure more resilient and now is the time to look beyond the surface and analyse what’s going on in the ground.   

Arranging a ground assessment is a necessary step in ensuring the reliability of your assets under your management. For local authorities, transport bodies and asset managers planning works under the NDP, building that assessment into the programme now is the most efficient and cost-effective decision available. 

Mainmark's ground engineering specialists can assess the condition of your infrastructure's subgrade and identify risks before they become costly failures. Get in touch today to arrange a ground assessment and take the first step towards a more resilient future for your assets.