NRA refuses to fund upgrade after road claims 10 lives

COUNCILLORS have reacted furiously to the NRA’s refusal to provide money to straighten a dangerous section of road in North Cork which has claimed the lives of 10 people in recent years.

Instead of reacting positively to councillors’ pleas for an urgent upgrade of the Mallow-Fermoy road (N72), the NRA advised that the best the council could hope for was a feasibility study on the project.

NRA chief executive Fred Barry wrote to county manager Martin Riordan saying funding for roads improvements had been cut in recent years so there was “a backlog of worthwhile schemes in the planning system”. He said even if the NRA regional design office made a case for a study, unfortunately it would be some time before money would became available.

Councillor Tom Barry (FG), who lives in Killavullen which is adjacent to one of the most dangerous sections of the N72, said the last time the road was upgraded was in 1979.

“Are they waiting for yet another accident to happen? I feel the NRA are not giving us the recognition we deserve. The NRA have been out to see this road themselves. What’s going on here is a fudge. It’s unbelievable that we’re getting these answers,” he said.

Cllr Noel O’Connor (FG), who lives in Mallow, was equally shocked. “There’s parts of the road which are exceptionally dangerous and the NRA is not taking us seriously. We should write back to them and provide them with a letter detailing the number of accidents on it.”

Cllr Ronan Sheehan (Lab) described the NRA’s response as diabolical. “They haven’t even got money to do a study. The chances of work being carried out there are thus very slim. Will it take another four or five deaths before something happens?”

Cllr Tim Collins (Ind) said councillors should demand a face-to-face meeting with NRA officials.

“I’m baffled by their response. It’s deplorable,” Cllr John Paul O’Shea (Ind) said. He also backed the call for a meeting with the NRA.

Assistant county manager Tim Lucey said he would write to the NRA and try to set up a meeting.

Mr Lucey said he would happily attend it and bring along senior council engineers to put a case forward.

The NRA, meanwhile, had recognised the dangerous nature of the road in a report published in 2006.

Council engineers say €35 million was needed to carry out a realignment of the N72 to make it safer.

A local woman was the latest person to lose her life on the road after her car was in collision with a truck last October.

The road is one of the main arteries between Cork and Kerry and 3,000 vehicles use it daily, with 11% lorries.