Under €400,000 for 2025 Laois road safety schemes with one in Portlaoise

Laois has received less than €400,000 from the Department of Transport under the Safety Improvement Works fund in 2025.

The money, €395,000 in total, will pay Laois County Council to do work at 13 dangerous road locations to make them safer for Laois motorists.  Full list below.

Just one is in Portlaoise, with €30,000 for the Ballycarnan Cross junction.

Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald has made the case again to have work done at the Rathevan T-junction, beside Noel Whelan's garage and close to the Borris Road secondary school campus.

She also referred to the two tragic road deaths of children in Portlaoise housing estates over the past 18 months.

"Everyone is talking about the dreadful accidents again. There are two areas that I have waiting for years. One is in Rathevan. It's there for years. Is there any possibility that the funding will be increased?" Cllr Fitzgerald asked.

She asked the council at the March meeting when the money was announced as part of the Laois Roadworks Scheme 2025.

The Director of Services with responsibility for roads is Simon Walton.

"We get an annual allocation for a number of road safety schemes with the department. We submit a list in October and in December they decide what to fund. We rank the ones we send. 

"The €395,000 we have for Road Safety Schemes in 2025 is indicative of the funding level we get. The number of schemes is not matched by the funding. As you have brought up Rathevan, I'll have to check and see where we are at with it," Mr Walton said.

The dozen other roads or junctions to be funded for safety works are: €40,000 in Stradbally, €15,000 in Portarlington, €40,000 in Ballybrophy, €30,000 in Sheffield Cross, €35,000 in Derrynaseera, €35,000 in Mountrath, €30,000 for Knock school, €30,000 for the Bog Road, Ballyroan, €27,500 for the approach to Shanahoe GAA grounds, €27,500 for the entrance to Sampsons Court lane on the Ballinakill to Castlecomer Road, €20,000 at Brockera and €35,000 at Grangemore junction.

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Back in 2023, Cllr Fitzgerald said she was raising the danger alert for Rathevan for the fourth time to the counci, saying "people are taking the bend on the wrong side of the road. People are flying in to schools. It is a dangerous area".

In 2024 she again asked for the council to seek funding.

""A safety scheme has been required for years at Ned Whelan's garage. There is a turn right and traffic has to come out across the road. If you are coming from Derrygarron, there is absolutely no road markings whatsoever, none. It's an open space," she said.