Fianna Fáil councillor Margaret Adams this week questioned the cost of the upgrade works on the N5 Westport to Castlebar road at Kilbree that were recently carried out and if there was any more work to be carried out at the location. She said that she was disappointed that the hill had not been taken out of the road as part of the works. Cllr Peter Flynn backed up Cllr Adams on the issue, also expressing his disappointment that the hill had not been taken out of the road as it was a safety issue for people.
Acting director of services for Mayo County Council, Padraig Walsh, told the members: “The site was identified as having a higher percentage of accidents than other areas on the stretch of the road. This allowed us to apply for special funding to improve the road, the main aim of the project was to widen the road from 5.8 metres which it was before the work to 8m, which we have done, making the road much safer. We were also able to put in a grass verge on one side of the road that didn’t exist before. The total cost of expanding the pavement and the earth works was €400,000 and that was the funding we got for it and what we were able to do.”
