Labour Party Castlebar town councillor Harry Barrett has expressed concern about the money to be spent on the erection of a pedestrian bridge at Lough Lannagh. It is believed that the lowest price quoted for the bridge is €630,000. Cllr Barrett is demanding that contractors be asked to give a discount on tendered prices, and that any money saved be given to repairing footpaths on the Turlough Road.
“The people of the town have waited a long time for the erection of this bridge and I am delighted to see that we, as a council, are within sight of finishing the job,” Cllr Barrett said. “We will be opening up Lough Lannagh to the Bilberry chain of lakes and giving families, young, and the old a fantastic walking and cycling facility. It really will be a tremendous tourist attraction and will add considerably to what we can offer our visitors. However, I am very conscious of the prices being quoted for the structure.
“The lowest price tendered is €630,000 and in my mind that is excessive. I am calling for serious negotiations to begin with contractors to get this price down. We are living in a different financial climate now and every euro is important. I have people on the Turlough Road regularly complaining about the state of footpaths on the approach to town and I will be calling for any savings that accrue from this process to be spent on these paths.”
