Anger at timing of road closure in Dundalk

News that Hazelwood Avenue in Dundalk is to close for ten weeks from Wednesday 19 September, to facilitate works by Irish Water has drawn widespread criticism from residents in Bay Estate, due to the timing of the closure.

The works taking place relate to the upgrading of the existing sewer network within Bay Estate, as part of the Irish Water Combined Sewer Upgrade Project.

The Dundalk Democrat spoke to one resident, Mr Pat Clarke, who said that he first learned of the decision to close the road via a Louth County Council notification in local media, just two weeks ago.

While Mr Clarke welcomed what is understood to be long overdue sewage works, the timing of the road closure was not so welcome.

“We got letters from Irish Water and the company that is doing the work, back in April”, said Pat, “that was for the surveying work that was done in April.”

“But no one told us officially that this work was going to start on Wednesday week and lasting up until Christmas. No one notified us - any of the neighbours here,” he went on.

Pat continued: “We need this done - we seriously do, but not to the extent that this whole road is going to be closed up until December 21.”

Images shared by Pat and Councillor Maeve Yore of Mr Clarke's garden would suggest that the works are indeed urgently required.

One part of the front garden has sunk below the rest, as can be seen from the above photo, and is undermining the walls around the garden, Mr Clarke informed the Dundalk Democrat. “This has been put off for ten years”, says Pat. “If you saw my garden or saw the footpath outside. If you look at the wall – if the wall falls down, who's going to replace it? The more I put this off the worse it's going to get – and it's not just me personally, it's the whole street”.

Mr Clarke welcomed the assistance of Cllr Yore up to now on the issue. “Maeve (Cllr Yore) has been pushing this from the beginning. Only for Maeve, none of this would have been done.”

ABOVE: Cllr Maeve Yore in Pat Clarke's garden. Sewage lines in the area have caused the ground to sink, one of the reasons the sewage works are required

Cllr Yore spoke to the Dundalk Democrat of the work she had done up to now on the issue and her dealings with Irish Water.

“Even in the four years I've been dealing with it, its gone down and down, his front garden,” said Maeve, “And all the footpaths there on Hazelwood Avenue have been affected by it. It's a major sewage issue.”

While the work is badly needed, closing the road at this time of the year is an unwelcome development. “The worst part”, says Pat, “is they finished back in April. So they'd all that time up until now to get all the other work done.”

The lack of communication and planning is the main issue with the upcoming works. Maeve says in her dealings with the issue, she was “always told this was an Irish Water issue. Then I got onto Irish Water and I was told it was a council issue”.

Cllr Yore felt that both parties were “passing the buck” on the issue, so at last Tuesday evening's Municipal District of Dundalk's monthly meeting she brought it up again.

She was also contacted by a bus company that uses the road, who said that they had just been made aware of the closure. This would make it very difficult for the bus company she said, to make new arrangements in time for the upcoming closure.

The Dundalk Democrat contacted Irish Water on the matter, see their response here