Repairs ongoing on Laois bridge where cars become airborne

The council is carrying out repairs at a bridge where a councillor claimed cars were becoming airborne. 

Locals are used to ‘the whirr’ sound of airborne cars near the Laois bridge, Councillor PJ Kelly told the last meeting of Portarlington Graiguecullen Municipal District.  

Cllr PJ Kelly likened a wall near the bridge to a “jigsaw puzzle” due to crash damage. 

Now Laois County Council has put temporary traffic measures in place in order to carry out repairs at the bridge. 

Temporary traffic lights will be in place at Carn Bridge on the R422 between Emo and Mountmellick between 8am and 6pm until Saturday, April 4.  

Laois County Council said there will be an occasional requirement for 24 hour use of the lights between now and April 4. 

The council said the road is being closed for the purpose of bridge wall repairs. 

Objections or observations can be emailed to: pmcveigh@laoiscoco.ie and copy the following jgriffin@laoiscoco.ie and ldonnellan@triurconstruction.com

Cars becoming airborne on Laois bridge

Cllr Kelly had a motion at the last meeting asking “that Laois County Council investigate the possibility of reducing the speed limit from 80 km down to 60 km for 200m either side of Carn Railway Bridge on the Emo/Mountmellick Road as this would reduce the amount of bad accidents that happen there.”

In a written response, Senior Engineer in the Roads Department, Paul McLoughlin said: “The Road Design Section will investigate the matter including the carrying out of a review of the available collision data for this location. The outcome will inform the appropriate interventions required including consideration for a speed limit reduction under the next countywide speed limit review.”

Cllr Kelly explained that there is a "sharp pinch" on the bridge that makes speeding cars leave the road. There are about six holes in the wall on the Mountmellick side of the bridge and the situation is the same on the Emo side, he said.  

“When the cars go over that at 80 or over, the car leaves the road for a stretch of yards before it lands again, and there is a slight turn on that bridge. That being the reason then that some of these cars when they land they lose control and they hit the wall on that side,” he told the council meeting.  

“The evidence is there, all the holes in the wall all along. Same on the opposite side,” said Cllr Kelly.  

“Some of the locals there tell me that you can actually hear the whirr of the car when it leaves the road before it lands again. That’s the issue. If the speed limit was put back it would alter that greatly,” Cllr Kelly explained. 

Cllr Aidan Mullins expressed his dissatisfaction that the council was unable to set speed limits when safety was an issue.