Dundalk councillors critical of traffic management during recent road works

Cllrs at the Dundalk Municipal District September meeting, were critical of how traffic was managed during road works in two parts of the region recently.

The matter was first raised by Cllr Antóin Watters, who brought up the traffic diversion routes that were put in place during the recent Lordship resurfacing works. Cllr Watters enquired that if when Louth County Council put diversions in place, does it carry out risk assessments.

The Sinn Féin councillor went on to say that he had received complaints from people in the area asking why hedges on the diversions roads had not been cut.

Cllr Watters added that a number of accidents had occurred, due to cars meeting on the road and “falling into shucks and falling into you name it.”

Cllr Andrea McKevitt also spoke on the matter, saying that it caused “ a lot of havoc and frustrations” and added that she thought the traffic management company used by Louth County Council needed to be reviewd before being used again in the county.

In response, Senior Executive Engineer with Louth County Council, Paddy Connelly, said that the diversions set up for the works were two-way and were a health and safety measure that had to be put in place.

He added that given the geography of the Cooley Peninsula the available roads for creating a diversion are “very few and far between” and that it had to be taken on board that the roads are narrow.

Further on in the meeting, Cllr Emma Coffey raised recent works carried out by Irish Water (now known as Uisce Éireann) in Blackrock, that had meant the closure of the road in the seaside village.

Cllr Coffey told the meeting that nobody from Blackrock could get in or out of town and had to go around the old Dublin Road.
The Fianna Fáil councillor asked if a traffic management plan had been submitted to Louth County Council.

Cllr Coffey added that both primary schools in Blackrock have now staggered their start and finish times to help alleviate the “already existing traffic problems” in Blackrock and that these works were exacerbating the problem.

The Dundalk South councillor further added that they would like to know when the works would be finishing as “nobody can seem to get an answer from Irish Water.”

Senior Executive Engineer, Paddy Connelly, replied to say that all works carried out by Irish Water are done on a rolling licence and that a it was a standard provision that a traffic management plan be submitted.

Cllr Robert Nash also spoke on the matter, saying that the R173 (Dundalk to Carlingford) road closure was well advertised but the public was unaware and had little knowledge of the road closure in Blackrock.

Cllr Marianne Butler told the meeting that the issue was not entirely down to Irish Water, becasue Louth County Council have to give Irish Water permission.

The Green Party councillor said the road was closed for a full week and that she didn't believe that it was justified for what was being done.

Cllr Butler added that it was something they needed to be looked at, including the communication around the road closure.

Cllr Butler said that she thought she had missed the notice regarding the road closure and went looking for it, including on the Louth County Council website. All she could find, she told the meeting, was a notice that was put up last June on the Drogheda Life website.