Residents in Lisheenkyle, Castlelambert and Raheen have to contend with burst tyres and damaged vehicles because of the poor state of local roads.
That’s according to Fine Gael Senator Fidelma Healy Eames who says Galway County Council must provide for the daily maintenance of these roads to keep them in a safe driving condition until the N6 is built.
Speaking after a packed public meeting in Athenry earlier this week she said the roads in this area have fallen totally into disrepair as a result of the work on the N6.
“It is not fair on this local community that they are paying the price resulting in damaged vehicles, suspensions, burst tyres, and inconvenience such as having to take up to seven mile detours to pre-schools unannounced.
“It was the view of the meeting that a delegation meet the county manager Martina Moloney to achieve a commitment to a daily maintenance programme followed by a permanent reinstatement in the form of full resurfacing of the road once the N6 is complete.”
She says the ongoing maintenance of the road is already part of the contract between the National Roads Authority (NRA ) and the Spanish company doing the contract work.
“As it stands this is not happening,” she claims. “The road is in a terrible state with sections having to be closed off at times, without notice, it being in such bad order. One parent said to me ‘I noticed today that part of the road was closed - hopefully to fix some of the potholes and fix the crumbling surface. However, there was no notice of this happening and dropping the kids off entailed a seven mile detour.’ Another concern voiced to me was ‘Once the N6 is complete, what are the chances of the permanent reinstatement of the road being satisfactorily enforced if the daily maintenance is neglected so badly with the contractors present.’”
The Oranmore senator says it is critical that Galway County Council ensure that they are adequately reimbursed for all costs and losses by the NRA for the level of daily maintenance needed as all local roads are under their authority.
“Improved standards are urgently needed with visible daily action. I am contacting the county manager seeking a deputation for the local people.”
