Priorities identified in winter roads plan

A meeting of Leitrim County Council on Monday discussed this winter's road maintenance service plan with councillors from across the county identifying roads in their specific areas that are currently not treated in icy weather conditions.
A theme from the debate emerged that border roads with neighbouring counties posed the most problems with roads being treated or untreated on either side of the specific county boundary.
Cllr Paddy O'Rourke raised the issue of the road from Carrigallen to the Cavan boundary, Cllr Padraig Fallon mentioned the road adjoining from Sligo and Cllr Thomas Mulligan raised the issue of the road from Mohill to Drumlish in Co Longford.
Cllr Felim Gurn also raised the issue of the road from Blacklion to the Leitrim border being gritted but it is not then gritted on the Sligo side and is causing difficulty for people commuting into Sligo.
Darragh O'Boyle, District Engineer, told councillors, “All drivers should assume that roads are unsalted. Going from one area that's salted to another that is salted - that's a fact of life.” He said the local authorities are all on an interconnective Whataspp. “We're talking to Sligo, Cavan, Donegal and Longford.”

He was speaking after a presentation on this year's Leitrim Winter Service Plan.
Cllr Paddy O'Rourke had asked that a section of road between the Golden Vale cattle mart in Carrigallen towards Ballyconnell be salted.
“There's a section of that road, about four miles of it in Co Leitrim. The problem is that people are coming in from Cavan, from Ballyconnell, and are coming on a road that is salted and then they find themselves on a four mile stretch with a number of high hills and twisted bends and it's not salted.”
He continued, “There are a couple of very difficult hills on it and there was an incident last year where a 96 year old man couldn't be reached by an ambulance. The problem for many motorists is that they are coming from a road that is salted to a road that it is not salted and if they don't realise that early on, we could have problems and we have had problems.”
Mr O'Boyle said the section of road from Doogarry Cross to Carrigallen that he referred to, was a local road and not on the council's priority and priority two list. “We have boxes of salt of the hill area there to help out during the winter season,” he said.
Mr O'Boyle said that the onus is on the driver to be wary during winter conditions. “We have the regional roads covered and the national roads covered under priority one and priority two, but we don't have the resources to deal with anything outside that plan. The team might be called out twice in one night so we really can't deviate from this plan.”
Cllr Enda Stenson raised an issue about Lough Errill nursing home between Mohill and Carrick-on-Shannon off the R201. “You have to go up a steep hill to it and I've spread salt on it myself with a shovel. The nurses and care attendants start their shift at 7am and there are no men about to spread salt at that time. I hope the council could reverse their lorry up that hill - it's 300m from R201 to the nursing home and the staff have to walk up the hill at present.”
Mr O'Boyle said that salt bins can be provided but they “can't get the lorry to back up a hill because it just interferes with the whole process and time resources is an issue for us.”
Cllr Padraig Fallon complemented the team and said that people “forget that they go out and treat roads that aren't treated until they get onto them.”
He said that last year, there were a number of calls from people where there was a “section of road being done by Sligo County Council that didn't seem to be done with the regularity we were doing the section here in Leitrim and maybe we could communicate with the neighbouring local authority and ensure sections are being done.”
Mr O'Boyle said that the local authorities are all on an interconnective Whataspp - “we're talking to Sligo, Cavan, Donegal and Longford” and that the counties are looked at as a whole so there may be delays in when certain sections are gritted.
Cllr Thomas Mulligan supported Cllr Stenson's motion and noted the road from Mohill to Drumlish is not on the plan. “We had a number of issues last year and quite a number of accidents and I assume it won't be any better this year.”
He said the road is gritted coming from Drumlish “until it hits the Leitrim border” and asked if the council could contact Longford County Council and “try and do something with them.”
Mr O'Boyle said that the council tried to get the road under priority three, a severe weather event, but will not be putting it under priority two, the call out system. “We have spent a lot surfacing on that road.”
Cllr Felim Gurn said that roads are treated from Blacklion to the Leitrim border and “there is a problem every year, on the Sligo side of the N16 that HSE workers and people trying to commute into Sligo, the roads are not gritted in Sligo.”
He said with construction work ongoing on the N16 by Sligo County Council, “people are using other ways to get into Sligo including the Newtownmanor road, the Ballintogher road and the Lough Gill road. These roads are never gritted and need to be looked at and Leitrim County Council needs to communicate with their counterparts in Sligo County Council.”
Cllr Sean McGowan supported Cllr Stenson's suggestion regarding treating the hill at Lough Errill nursing home and said that on the road from Mohill to Drumlish, there “have been a number of serious incidents and it is an extremely busy road.”
Cllr Sean McDermott asked if the road from Manorhamilton to Kiltyclogher could be put on the priority list.
Cllr Finola Armstrong- McGuire's query related to yellow salt bins and if an email could be sent to all registered resident associations that “the bins are available and refills are available” and that under no circumstances should litter be put in the bins.
Cllr Des Guckian suggested that “the very steep hill down from Annaduff NS” be gritted.
Cllr Brendan Barry said he “welcomed all the changes that have been made and the addition of regional roads which have been left off the plan for a long number of years. A lot of the equipment has been upgraded and we have equipment on our roads that is very efficient.”
Cathaoirleach Cllr Justin Warnock asked if it is “possible to get grit into certain areas before bad weather hits because every truck is busy at that stage.”
Mr O'Boyle noted that salt bins are available to communities, churches, graveyards and schools and are €170 for a 400 litre bin. He said the plan notes that there are boxes of salt at hilly areas on local roads that aren't covered under priority one and priority two.