ROADS in County Limerick have been “decimated” this winter according to local councillors, who have called on the council to apply for government funding to get repairs done as a matter of urgency.
Speaking at a special meeting on roads in Newcastle West this Tuesday, Fine Gael councillor John Sheahan told the council executive that roads in the county have been badly hit by poor weather conditions in recent months. He claimed they were hazardous in places and called for the local authority to carry out a roads assessment before seeking government funding for repairs.
“We need a few bob, maybe more than a few bob,” Cllr Sheahan said.
“We need a report done before we can apply for extra money to get these roads repaired. We also need our Oireachtas members to put their shoulders to the wheel to deliver for us on this.”
Cllr Sheahan also hit out at Gas Networks Ireland, who are laying pipelines along the N69 to Kerry, for the “scandalous” manner in which they have managed their works. Cllr Sheahan claimed there was no regard for the health and safety of road users.
“It is a disgrace. There is no flagman. They have no warning signs up. There wasn’t even a hazard van with lights on. We need to take a look at what they are doing and get a handle on this,” he insisted.
Fianna Fail councillor Michael Collins said he had this week travelled on the N69 and described the situation as “highly dangerous”.
Fine Gael councillor Jerome Scanlan described the rain as the “enemy of the roads” this winter”.
“You could drown ducks in the massive potholes on some of the roads,” he told the council executive.
Sinn Fein councillor Seamus Browne reiterated the need for national funding after this winter’s “unusual weather” to repair the roads network in West Limerick.
“The surface has started to come off rural roads. It is not acceptable,” he said.
Fine Gael councillor Liam Galvin felt there was a serious pothole problem in County Limerick with the roads as bad now as they were in the 1980s.
Senior executive engineer at Limerick City and County Council, Ben Noonan told councillors that they had 800km of road to maintain in West Limerick and that a big issue this winter was the drainage of lands.
by Alan Jacques
