With the spring weather of recent weeks it can be easy to forget just how wet this year has been.
Although the seasons seem finally to have moved on, the Roads Department in Waterford Council, like roads departments all over the country, are left to repair the damage of what has been all almost unprecedentedly wet start to the year.
So extensive was the damage to the road network, that Fianna Fáil Councillor, John O’Leary, has commented that Waterford’s roads may have been set back 30 years, as he enquired about funding for repairs at the recent Plenary Council meeting.
Cllr. O’Leary complimented the outdoor staff who have been working in terrible conditions.
“They have been trying to cope with the horrendous situation we find our roads in both rural and urban,” he said.
“The Council has looked for further financial assistance from the Government, it is badly needed and we certainly in my party will be making every effort to get that money secured so we can get our roads back into some kind of normal situation.
“I would believe our roads have gone back about 20 or 30 years because of the vile weather that we have had. Is there any response from the department? Let’s keep the pressure on.”
In response to this, Director of Services, Gabriel Hynes, acknowledged that there has been substantial damage the road network, which spreads across 75 locations in Waterford.
“We’ve had significant damage to our road network over the last couple of months, in particular due to storm Chandra. We have 75 locations around the City and County where we need significant restoration works and we’ve estimated the costs will be in excess of €8 million,” explained Mr. Hynes.
“We have made a submission to the department for that funding. It is essential funding that will allow us to restore our roads to a reasonable state and repair that damage. Without that funding we will be under severe pressure in the current year to ensure our road network is sufficient and safe for the road user.
“Anything you can do politically to ensure we get that €8 million will be welcome from the executive perspective,” he added.
AARON KENT
Funded by a Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
