Dundalk's road compared to 'driving on the moon' due to potholes - Cllr

Dundalk's roads have been compared to "driving on the moon" due to potholes by Fine Gael councillor Robert Nash. 

Cllr Nash, who is also the Cathaoirleach of the Dundalk Municipal District told its March meeting that the local authority must act quickly ahead of more bad weather. 

He said the council's JCB Pro which is used to repair potholes around the county was seen cutting trees on the Ardee Road. 

"Our JCB Pro was out cutting trees on the Ardee road. Meanwhile we’re driving around Dundalk and it's like driving on the moon, I don't understand it," he said. 

However, Cllr Nash acknowledged that there is work going on in Blackrock ahead of its entry into the Entente Florale Europe Competition this year, but said the council need to look at the town's roads too.

"I understand there’s an awful lot of work going on in Blackrock but we need to be looking at the roads, we need to get moving really quickly before more bad weather comes," he said. 

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Elsewhere, Fianna Fáil councillor Emma Coffey warned that further bad weather could exacerbate the problem. 

She said a tractor would be needed to get through some of the potholes in the town's main thoroughfares, likening it to a "patchwork quilt". 

Cllr Coffey said the Dublin Road, Bellewsbridge Road and between Hill Street and Xerox had potholes in "double figures". 

She said councillors are regularly being sent pictures of people standing in potholes that are "coming up to their shin". 

A spokesperson for Louth County Council acknowledged that potholes are an issue but said three tonnes of hot tar are being laid "regularly over the last couple of weeks". 

He said the local authority had this week carried out works to Bellewsbridge Road and plans to do resurfacing works to the Dublin Road later this year. 

"We are trying to prioritise potholes number one problem and drainage," he said. 

A recent Louth County Council report found that 3,000 new potholes appeared on the county's roads after bad weather.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.