'No concept of victims' families': Strong criticism over N4 delivery delays
Several councillors including Councillor Peggy Nolan, Cllr Seamus Butler, Cllr Paul Ross and Cllr Gerry Hagan expressed their frustration with the much-maligned N4
Councillors heavily criticised the delayed N4 Mullingar to Longford (Roosky) project following a recent presentation where a former Cathoirleach accused the TII of having 'no concept of what it has meant for those families' who lost loved ones.
Local representatives hit out at what they perceived as a lack of urgency from stakeholders despite the road being well-known as being a prominent location for serious road collisions.
Several councillors including Councillor Peggy Nolan, Cllr Seamus Butler, Cllr Paul Ross and Cllr Gerry Hagan expressed their frustration with the much-maligned N4 project over various issues such as delays and communication with landowners.
Cllr Butler said he doubted it would be finished 'before I'm not fit to drive any longer,' alluding to the multiple delays.
He stated he could not understand how both the N5 and N4 are coming to Longford while 'work is being done on dual carriageways on those extensively without addressing where it's all coming to a bottleneck' in Longford.
"In 2016 when we presented to the Dáil transport committee it was 125% over capacity then and the amount of accidents and everything that is happening.
"I don't think when you are bringing traffic from roads like that coming down and then having a series of roundabouts all the way to Mullingar is a satisfactory outcome.
"This is going to be a 50-year project, so let's try to get it right because we have waited so long for it."
Cllr Butler stated the second aspect is they are talking about consultations 'but there is no mention of an actual final design, tendering, and construction, or when that might actually start'.
"Is that reflecting the new Government guidelines on delivering infrastructure fast or is it still the old way of going through every [detail that], has that had an impact or can it have an impact on delivering this project before I'm not fit to drive any longer."
Cllr Peggy Nolan praised the presentation and said all of her questions were answered excellently, however, she noted that as councillors they are well aware of the urgency the project deserves.
"But it's not getting that urgency and I'm sorry I don't see any hope or any light at the end of this tunnel.
"I've been here, like Cllr Butler, from the inception of this whole project and it's 20 years since it was first mooted.
"Just on a human level, all of the lives that were lost, TII have no concept of what it has meant for those families that have lost loved ones. It does not seem to have been a factor in all of this at all.
"With regards the economic hindrance of having a single carriageway from here to Mullingar, the impact it has on our county is something that is not factored into this either. Over the last 20 years we have seen not just start-ups but completions on different roads and different bypasses right across this country and Longford was never at the races.
"And we are being hindered as regards attracting industry to Longford."
She said when she was Cathaoirleach they visited an embassy in Dublin and the ambassador was very courteous and they had lunch but she said there was 'something going on and in the ether'.
"He had been in the Dáil that morning at a meeting and he said our manager was there and he hoped this could be got over the line.
Both of us said, 'Look if there are any holdups at all, Longford is open for business'.
"In our minds [it was] but not in his mind because of the single carriageway.
"So my worry and concern is this won't be completed if it even is completed in 2030.
"Mullingar is a different story, ye are very lucky, it's a booming county with loads of industry, some of which would have come to Longford if we had a dual carriageway,” Cllr Nolan concluded.
Cllr Uruemu Adejinmi asked if they could tell the local representatives what the timeline was for the completion of Phase 3 and she also enquired about an 'indicative timeline' for construction to start.
She stated she welcomed the consideration for active travel and she asked how that would affect the completion date.
Cllr Paul Ross highlighted the multi-annual basis budget and he said several farmers he spoke to over the past six months are extremely disappointed by promises that were made,
"It looked as though you were pulling the wool over their eyes to be honest with you, that was certainly the impression I got.
"There were promises of a certain amount of money, maybe €5,000 for 10 holes being dug, going to a farmer in the short term and the next thing ye only dug two or three holes and it was very disillusioning.
"I think there was an element of trust lost."
Fine Geal Cllr Gerry Hagan implored the project team to get the funding without any further delays and he urged them to lobby for enough money to complete stages three and four and complete the project in the 'not too distant future'.
"We need this funding now in the next year or two. We don't want to see this being put back and you have stage three finished and then it's left and another year or two goes by and we all know what happens then at that stage.
"This is going to be one of the great game-changers for county Longford economically if it were to go ahead.
"We see our Chief Executive Paddy Mahon can drive on a dual carriageway down home to Castlebar most of the way.
"And we're within an hour of the airport if this road was finished."