Road painting to 'stop confusion' on busy Portlaoise roundabout

The roundabout to a major road built four years ago needs its painted markings redone, a Portlaoise councillor says. 

The €8 million extension to the Portlaoise Southern Circular Relief road was opened in 2019, linking the Stradbally N80 road to the Abbeyleix road which is now undergoing a multimillion upgrade.

The repainting of the roundabout was requested by Cllr Willie Aird in a motion tabled to the June meeting of Portlaoise Municipal District.

"I saw the lads marking the roundabout and I asked for something similar for the Abbeyleix Road roundabout at Fr Brown Avenue," he said.

He said the lanes need to be marked clearly for drivers who are going around the roundabout.

"No marking is clearly identified to get in lane. Marking would stop the confusion," he said.

Cllr Thomasina Connell seconded his motion.

"Marking would be a great help. The road is very narrow. That road has made a huge difference to traffic, it is taking a huge volume," she said.