Carrigahorig flooding crux - councillors express frustration
Councillors in the Nenagh Municipal District have expressed frustration over the delay in starting works to resolve a flooding problem that occurs at Carrigahorig during times of persistent and heavy rain.
Speaking at the September meeting of the district authority, Cllr Ger Darcy said he and other councillors had been pressing for works to take place on the road between Carrigahorig and Portumna for ten years. It was the main route to the west of the country from north Tipperary and when the nearby Shannon flooded the road was impassable as water came out onto the route.
He said this meant traffic was then diverted on to minor roads through Lorrha and surrounding countryside, leaving the council with “a bill as long as your arm” to repair them due to damage caused by dramatically increased traffic flows.
“If we get heavy and persistent rain this coming winter the road between Carrigahorig and Portumna will probably be the only national route in the entire country that will have to be closed due to flooding,” he warned.
Cllr Darcy urged that council officials stress that the works are an absolute priority when they meet shortly with officials of the national roads authority, Transport Infrastructure Ireland.
BALLINGARRY CALMING
Cllr Michael O’ Meara, meanwhile, urged that the development of a traffic calming scheme in Ballingarry should be a priority. He said it was the only village on the N52 stretching from Co Louth to north Tipperary that didn’t have proper traffic calming measures.
Cllr Joe Hannigan said the roads authority should be pressed by the council to provide funding for upgrade of the section of the N52 between Borrisokane and Ballingarry. It was so narrow in places that heavy vehicles were driving close to the verges and knocking rocks out onto the road.
He felt other counties, such as Mayo, had fared a lot better over the years in drawing down funding for roads improvements and Tipperary needed to up its game.
“Nice guys do not win matches, and we must be the nice guys,” said Cllr Hannigan, who urged the council to take a tougher line in negotiations to draw down national funding for roads.