It will be next year at the earliest before the Council can hope to have funding to address works at a dangerous junction on the Mountrath-Abbeyleix Road.
That was the reply set out to Cllr John Joe Fennelly when he raised the issue this week at the Council’s Area Meeting.
The junction in question is at Cromogue as you exit onto the R430 Mountrath-Abbeyleix Road. Clr Fennelly was seeking improvements to visibility at the junction.
In a response from the Area Engineer, Mr Farhan Nasiem he was told that the junction of the L5658 and the R430 will be examined and an application will be made for a safety scheme at the location.
“That means it will be next year at the earliest,” said an exasperated Cllr Fennelly who asked could works not be carried out earlier through discretionary funding, following discussions with the local landowners?
“It’s not the main junction on this road but it’s the laneway to St Fintan’s Well and it’s deadly, deadly dangerous,” he warned.
Cllr Caroline Dwane agreed the junction in question is “absolutely lethal”.
Spink NS
Cllr Fennelly also sought to have the flashing warning lights at Spink National School replaced. When was told they would be repaired, he wanted to know when?
“They’re gone a few months now and they should be repaired as soon as possible. If anything happens it comes back on us. There should be a survey of all these lights every six months to ensure they are in working order.
The same meeting was told by Cllr Fennelly that the street lighting at the Tiles Housing Estate on the Portlaoise Road in Abbeyleix are overgrown by trees. A similar issue in St Brigid’s Place in Portlaoise was also highlighted.
The councillors were assured that while the maintenance of green areas and trees is the responsibility of residents of housing estates the tree branches around the lights will be trimmed by the public lights contractor.
Cllr Caroline Dwane said that it was a common occurrence to see trees overgrowing the public lights in estates and despite the best efforts of residents associations in some instances footpaths are being wrecked by the roots of trees, as was the case in Linden Court in Portlaoise.
