Munster Express Online

Sheila Heffernan reports

While Stradbally was itself relatively unscathed with the recent flooding catalysed by Storm Frank, the partial collapse and closure of the humpback bridge on the approach to the village is causing considerable problems locally.
The closure of the bridge has caused a considerable level of inconvenience to those who live on the opposite side of the River Tay.
“It’s a good bit longer, certainly 10 minutes from my end” said local resident Boyer Phelan, when speaking about the lengthier commute she now has to the village since the bridge’s closure.
“I wouldn’t have slept if I had gone down to look,” explained Ms Phelan, when talking about the night the bridge fell – her front garden is on the bank of the river.
And it wasn’t till the next morning, December 30th, that she went to examine the damage which had been done – it appears that the wall had begun to veer out towards the river, causing the road to crack and strain.
“It was flooding quite a bit at other times when there was heavy rain, which I suppose just built up,” she recalled.

The somewhat dangerous situation was exacerbated by the fact that until concrete blocks were put in place, motorists continued to use the road.
“On (the) Thursday (the Council) put up bollards, but people just kept knocking them down again.”
Since then, the road has been completely closed off, meaning that to reach Stradbally village, residents must now first go to Ballyvoile, then back to the Quarry before turning at the Five Cross Roads. Some may indeed opt to drive to Dungarvan as opposed to taking the detour.
This new route must also be used when accessing Kilmacthomas, which also added 10 minutes to that relatively short journey.
While a relatively minor inconvenience within the context of other storm-damaged areas across the region, there’s a fear that local businesses may suffer until such time as the bridge is repaired.
When asked about the recent flooding, Ms Phelan stated: “When Hurricane Charlie came, it was lapping against the steps, but it wasn’t even up that far this time.”
Although this is probably of small comfort in the context of the current difficulty, there is also an acknowledgment locally that the areas had emerged from Storm Frank, having gotten off relatively lightly.