Local Councillor raises South Armagh road concerns
Slieve Gullion Sinn Féin Councillor Mickey Larkin has met Road’s Service Department of Infrastructure Officers at Dromintee and Jonesborough to highlight the deterioration of roads in the area.
Speaking to Newry Times, the local Councillor commented, “I accompanied a Roads Service Engineer around the area to view local roads and assess the defects on them.
“Following the recent cold weather the condition of roads in the area has deteriorated rapidly. I realise that this is replicated across not only our Council district but also across the north. However my first concern is for the safety and wellbeing of the citizens of the area I represent and of those who reside within our district.
“We viewed potholes which were on the verge of becoming trenches and photographed all defects along our roads. Every pothole and drainage issue has been recorded and reported to the Department. This is the first stage of the process to ensure all defects are repaired.”
He continued, “One of the most pressing defects occurred outside Meigh on the Dromintee Road close to the junction with the Aghadavoyle Road. In mid December the road surface was stripped back after a hard frost. My colleague Megan Fearon MLA reported this the following day to the department with photographs attached.
“This stretch of road has the national speed limit along it. Drivers were swerving to avoid the crumbling road surface and this was presenting a danger to oncoming traffic. With the Christmas break looming, the urgency of the matter was obvious however the Department failed to act.
“Following the extreme weather at New Year myself and others again contacted the Department to express concerns as the problem worsened. I am aware that the engineer issued a work card for the repair at this time however it was never carried out.
“With this knowledge I contacted the engineer directly and requested a site meeting. On visiting the site we measured a defect which covered an area of 7 metres by 2 metres. The engineer was shocked that the repairs hadn’t been carried out as per the work card.”
The Sinn Féin Councillor added, “Following the site visits in the area I secured a commitment from the engineer that the defect at the Dromintee Road would be tended to immediately. True to his word, two days later staff from the Department arrived and repaired the road.
“The community is thankful for this work being carried out however much more needs to be done and quickly before serious injury is caused to road users. I will continue to lobby and cajole to ensure our roads are repaired within the tightest timeframe possible. Anyone who knows of a defect can contact me to report it and I will log the defect and chase the Department on it.”
Short URL: https://newrytimes.com/?p=63185
Posted by Newry Times News
on Feb 1 2018. Filed under Community.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
