Councillors call for reopening of 'worst road' in Offaly

THE Councillors of Offaly County Council have called for the reopening of what one of them called “the worst road in Offaly”.

The collapse about a month ago of a bridge over the Yellow river near Rhode necessitated the closure of the R400, the road which connects the Offaly village with Rochfortbridge and is the direct route to the Dublin-Galway motorway.

Cllr Robert McDermott called on the Council executive to give an update on the repair works during Monday afternoon's October meeting of the County Council. "The road has been closed for a number of weeks and we need an update," he stated.

The councillor said that after the bridge was finally repaired, the road reopened and the construction of a new wind farm in the area completed, then it would be time to properly upgrade the R400 which should, he said, include going down through the peat and arriving at a solid foundation. Road diversions are in place, he added, which is leading to the deterioration of adjacent roads due to the new presence of heavy traffic.

Tom Shanahan, Director of Services, told the councillor that it's expected that the R400 will be reopened within two weeks, the end of the month. "The construction of the wind farm should be completed by the end of the year," he remarked.

"Because it's a bog road and because it's a busy route," said Cllr Noel Cribbin, "it is the worst road in Offaly. It's full upgrading can't come quickly enough."

With the road closed, an official diversion route through Croghan and Tyrrellspass was set up but local people were also driving by Knockdrin and Garr. Cllr Liam Quinn said the small by roads are not suited for the heavy traffic and the situation is worse after dark. He said funds will have to be allocated to repair the by roads next year, because, like the R400, they were built on peat.