'What about Aghoo Bridge?' was the question at the latest Ballinamore municipal district meeting
The contract is valued at €456,128.80 and the construction phase of the project has taken approximately 9 weeks longer than anticipated.
'What about Aghoo Bridge?' was the question at the latest Ballinamore municipal district meeting in Leitrim where councillors spoke of the frustration suffered by locals and residents due to works running over on the construction of the underpass at the bridge.
Cllr Paddy O'Rourke had asked "when can the people who use that road look forward to normal resumption of service."
Emma Donohoe, district engineer informed councillors that she had been told that the section is being surfaced this week.
She reminded members that it is a Waterways Ireland project before adding: "I was talking to them last week and they are waiting on Eircom to move the pole but that won't stop the reinstatement of the road. Uisce Éireann have now done the water connection and was tested last week and they are due to surface it."
She said that when she spoke to Eircom and said they "have scheduled that in for this week."
In a statement, Waterways Ireland said: “The soft ground near the underpass site required a temporary support system to be installed and later removed—adding time to the build. In addition, a utility service had to be realigned, which required extra design work, formal approvals, and legal consent before construction could proceed.
The contract is valued at €456,128.80, but final costs have not yet been confirmed as the project remains under construction.
The construction phase of the project has taken approximately 9 weeks longer than anticipated due to unforeseen infrastructural challenges which had to be dealt with. Waterways Ireland anticipates completing the works by the end of June.”
Cllr O'Rourke said that if they were "works that were being carried out by a private contractor, they would probably have asked Eircom a year ago, conscious of this kind of delay."
Ms Donohoe said that Eircom are still dealing with damage cause by the storms.
Cllr Brendan Barry said there was "huge frustration out there that it's gone on for as long as it has" before adding that the works have been "going on since March and it's running into massive money; it's just very frustrating and annoying for people to see that."