Residents take to filling in potholes themselves

Galway motorists are so driven to distraction by the state of the county’s crumbling roads – they’re fixing potholes themselves!

Residents in Clarinbridge have taken matters into their own hands and are filling potholes because pleas to Galway County Council are falling on deaf ears due to a lack of funds.

County Councillor Martina Kinnane (FF) said residents living in the townland of Stradbally East are so fed-up waiting for potholes to be fixed that they’ve started repairing them themselves in the past fortnight.

Cllr Kinnane said she didn’t agree with what they were doing but had a certain degree of sympathy for them because the roads were in such a poor state of repair.

She made the remarks during a discussion on the multi-annual programme of road works for the Athenry/Oranmore Municipal District area.

Senior Engineer Damien Mitchell outlined a plan of works for 2019 to 2021, which allocated a budget of €1.2 million each year for three years to Athenry/Oranmore.

In the first year eleven roads were identified as needing repair, twelve for 2020 and a further 15 in 2021.

If the budget allocation from central government increases then the Council will repair and resurface those roads quicker and add more roads that are not included in the list.

It was an indicative list and was subject to change depending on a further allocation of extra money, a reduction in money, or changes in the prioritisation of the roads needing repair.

“We don’t have sufficient funding,” conceded Mr Mitchell as he outlined the plan.

He acknowledged that politicians and officials at County Hall made representations to the Minister for Transport Shane Ross, for increased funding last February, but it was not forthcoming.

Cllr James Charity (Ind) said it was good to see a three-year roads funding plan but the Council could use multiples of the money that was allocated. He said many roads around Annaghdown that are crumbling at present are not scheduled for repair in the plan, or aren’t due to be fixed until three years down the road.

Mr Mitchell rejected a charge made by Cllr Kinnane that the people of Clarinbridge were somehow being discriminated against in this plan due to the constituency boundary redraw, which will result in Clarinbridge and Maree moving to a new Gort Municipal District.

Cllr Kinnane said she felt “isolated” by the plan but Mr Mitchell insisted it was equitable.

“Every councillor would like us to do another 10 roads. I could name 20 or 30 myself that I’d include but it is the fairest with what we have,” he said.

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