Action demanded at 'lethal' Laois junction between two big towns

A very serious situation on a ‘lethal’ Mountmellick junction requires urgent attention from Laois County Council because residents are living in fear of an accident.

So insists Cllr Paddy Bracken, Independent, who raised the issue with council officials at a recent meeting.

He tabled a motion calling on the local authority to carry out a safety improvement scheme urgently at Derrydavy at the junction of the L-2120 and the L-21202. 

He explained what was wrong at the junction on the Ridge Road that links Portlaoise and Mountmellick and also serves the Kyletalesha landfill.

“A very situation has developed. The whole road has subsided to the left. It’s a very busy junction with very poor sight lines. There is a fierce volume of traffic of people going to The Rock school and it is lethal at the cross…People in the area are living in fear of an accident,” he said.

He called on the council for short-term measures but also a safety improvement project that could involve widening the junction.

“It is deadly. I don’t know, how a serious accident hasn’t occurred. There are no markings, sightlines - no nothing,” he said.

James Dowling, Senior Executive Engineer, Road Design Office, replied in writing.

“The road design office will investigate the opportunity for improvements and safety measures at this location,” he said.

However, Cllr Bracken insisted that action is needed in the short term and the first steps should be addressing the subsidence. He appealed to Edmond Kenny, District Engineer, at the meeting held on June 29.

Mr Kenny replied that it would be brought forward to next year for a safety improvement scheme.

The issue was raised at the recent Borris-in-Ossory Mountmellick Mountmellick Municipal District meeting.