Drumshanbo road will need to be moved following landslide

A local road just over 3km outside of Drumshanbo remains closed after a landslide eroded the roadside making it dangerous to pass. On Friday, October 28 at approximately 3pm, a section of embankment of the local road L-7306 in the townland of Aghagrania, Drumshanbo was undermined by the high velocity flow of the Aghagrania River.

The embankment collapsed into the river ravine taking 50m of roadside verge with it. Leitrim County Council made the decision to close the road for public safety. District Area Engineer, Darragh O'Boyle confirmed on Monday at a special meeting of Ballinamore Municipal District that the Council hopes to purchase land and move the part of the roadway impacted by the landslide. He explained that the erosion at the site was caused by the flow of a nearby river after a query by Cllr Gerry Dolan.
“Our only option is to purchase land further up the mountainside and move the road,” Mr O'Boyle told Ballinamore area councillors. As a result, the road will have to be closed for a considerable time.”

Cllr Brendan Barry noted that those who used the road for local access would, previously, have to travel 3.1km from the centre of Drumshanbo to the site of the landslide. “Now it is 9km for them to go around,” he said before asking that the work be carried out as soon as possible “to help local people out.” After Cllr Enda McGloin asked if funding has been secured for the works, Mr O'Boyle said that “Leitrim County Council will be putting our hands out in all directions” in order to secure funding.
He suggested that the Council will be best advised to use the Climate Action Fund but acknowledged that the works needed will require “significant funding.”

The Council meeting heard, “The landowner has been very helpful and has agreed to sell us the land in principle,” adding that a design has to be drawn up for the project. When asked if locals could be allowed to continue to use the road Mr O'Boyle said that is “too risky” at the moment. “There is a 40-50 foot drop into the ravine,” he said.