Castlebellingham junction realignment would improve safety says Cllr McGeough

Cllr Pearse McGeough has said the realignment of the Castlebellingham junction at Brewery Street and the R166 to Annagassan will improve safety for road users and pedestrians alike.

At the March meeting of the Ardee Municipal District, Councillor Pearse McGeough put forward a motion seeking the realignment of the junction and the Council engineers agreed to implement the changes.

The Sinn Féin councillor said: “Currently, Brewery Street is only a short street but is a very busy thoroughfare.

Vehicles come off the main street of Castlebellingham and proceed down Brewery Street without reducing their speed. They then proceed around the bend onto Annagassan (R166). 

“Vehicles that turn off the main street onto the Annagssan Road have to stop to allow traffic out of Brewery Street and if there are cars parked in the allocated parking bays, visibility can be poor and the line of sight is obstructed. “This realignment would see a stop sign being put at the end of Brewery Street so traffic will be forced to slow down and stop.

“The R166 to Annagassan would then become the continuous thoroughfare from the main Street (R132) and they would no longer be required to stop or give way to Brewery Street vehicles.”

Concluding, Cllr McGeough said, “there has been a positive reaction from locals about this realignment and many have come forward to tell me of the near misses they have had as drivers and pedestrians. Hopefully once the works are carried out, everyone will feel safer.”