New map released of Laois road salting routes as icy weather begins
Laois County Council reminding drivers that they will not be held responsible for any accidents on icy roads.
The frosty nights returned this week in Laois, and with it Laois County Council’s updated map of the main roads that they treat for ice.
Most of the county’s roads go untreated, with the council reminding drivers that the council is not responsible for any crashes.
The council has eight crews that will be out treating roads on any necessary night, from mid-October 2026 to the end of April 2027.
They treat main roads between the towns of Portlaoise, Portarlington, Mountmellick, Abbeyleix, Graiguecullen, Stradbally, Borris-in-Ossory and Rathdowney, Durrow, Ballinakill and Clonaslee.
However local roads are not treated, due to lack of equipment and staff.
“Laois County Council is constantly striving to improve its winter maintenance service; however, neither the local authority nor Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) (formerly the NRA) has a statutory obligation to pre-salt roads,” they say.
“Having regard to the council’s resources in terms of finance, equipment and staffing levels and to maximise benefit to road users, winter maintenance of roads in Laois is prioritised on the following basis:
“Priority 1: M7 motorway, national roads, and regional roads of strategic importance, for example expressway bus routes, access to the train and bus depots, hospitals, ambulance routes, and fire stations.
“Priority 2: Regional roads with high volume of traffic using the road and access to major schools and industries.
“Priority 3: Other regional roads, town streets and local county roads on a priority basis.
“In extreme weather events priority 1 routes will take precedence over priority 2 routes in terms of allocation of available resources. The council has a total capacity of approximately 750 tonnes in its salt storage facilities, which is sufficient to treat a 5-day snow event.”
If there is heavy snow, the crews have snowblades that can be fitted to clear roads.
“It is common for a variance in road temperatures to occur across the county, which may result in only some of the routes being pre-treated on any night.
“In the event of dangerous road conditions, that is, black ice, white frost, snow, flooding, muck or any other hazardous road condition. The responsibility is on the driver to drive at an appropriate speed with due care in accordance with prevailing conditions on the road. Laois County Council is not responsible for any accidents that may occur as a result of poor driving conditions. “