Cost to repair ‘worst road’ in Laois could amount to €1 million

A local road in Laois could be closed off soon if it continues to deteriorate, as Laois County Council warns that costs to repair it could mount to around €1 million.

Cllr James Kelly told the Council that the L1596 from Kirwan’s Cross to Larry’s Cross is now “the worst road in the county” as it has deteriorated even more in recent months.

He called on Laois County Council to examine the road for structural and surface repairs at the recent Borris-in-Ossory / Mountmellick MD meeting.

The MD Office explained that the road is underlain by soft ground, “resulting in significant deterioration of its vertical alignment.” The MD Office said they are actively examining all available Department funding streams to facilitate comprehensive road restoration works.

However, the level of works needed could be in the region of €1 million, according to the Senior Executive Engineer for the MD, Rory O’Callaghan.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Kelly said: “This is now probably the worst road in the county. It was always very bad and one of the worst roads but now it is the worst roads because with the warm dry weather then contrasting with the wet and cold spells, it has destabilised the foundations of this very busy road.

“It’s basically a bog road. This is now a priority.”

The Independent councillor said anyone who doesn’t know the road “could be in bother” as there is a serious drop at both sides of the road.

“There’s going to be a serious accident if we don’t get working on this. I understand it’s a big job,” Cllr Kelly added.

The MD’s Senior Executive Engineer agreed that “it is a very big and costly job” especially considering it is a long stretch of road. He also noted that this is a problem which is appearing on many roads in the western area of the county.

When pressed about how much the job could cost, he said it could fall in the region of €1 million.

With the budget limited, Cllr Kelly said “we’re heading towards that road being shut down, vehicles might not be able to access that road if it gets any worse.”

As an interim measure, the Council will put temporary signage on the road to urge motorists to slow down.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme