’60-year wait’ to resurface county’s roads

The county’s local roads will be resurfaced once every 60 years if the current rate of repair continues.

There are 1,400 kilometres of local roads throughout the County Galway but just 30 kilometres were repaired in 2017, according to Councillor Joe Byrne (FG).

At that rate of progress, local roads will be done “every 50 or 60 years”, he said.

The potholes are so bad on the N67 through South Galway that it was like looking at craters on a Sky News report from Beirut, said Cllr Byrne. He said he is aware of one pothole on the N67 that has been filled with tar and chips four times since Christmas and it was to be filled again this week.

A meeting of Galway County Council on Monday heard how almost €24 million had been allocated from Government for roads this year.

Cllr Michael ‘Moegie’ Maher (FG) said this represented an increase of around €2 million compared with 2017 but would only do an additional eight kilometres of road because it costs €250,000 per kilometre. “We need €64 million per year not 24,” he said. Cllr Maher said the roads were bad enough for motorists but absolutely treacherous for cyclists they were so potholed.

Cllr Joe Folan (Ind) said coastal roads in Connemara have been ravaged by high tides and bad weather. He pointed out that Cork’s allocation was €320 million for roads.

Cllr Tomás Ó Curraoin (RSF) said there were fears the Connemara islands of Leitir Mór, Tír an Fhia and Trá Bán will be cut-off due to damaged road and bridge connections.

Cllr Michael Fahy (Ind) urged the management at County Hall to take out a €50 million loan to carry out the road repairs necessary in the county.

Cllr Noel Thomas (FF) said the tar and chips put on the surface on the N59 main Galway to Clifden road was a waste of time because it was being washed away by the rain. Cllr Shane Donnellan asked for a breakdown of the cost to the County Council inj compensation for claims against burst tyres because of potholed roads.

Director of Services Jim Cullen said he welcomed the increase in national funding of €2 million towards the roads in Galway. He pointed out, however, that a majority of County Councillors passed a budget for 2018 that contained a €750,000 reduction in the funding allocation for local roads this year.