Council forced to suspend works on ‘deplorable’ road

CORK County Council has said it had no choice but to suspend resurfacing works on one of the county’s main roads because of freezing conditions.

County engineer Noel O’Keeffe said a €3 million tarmac project on the N25 between Dunkettle and Midleton had to be stopped because tar wouldn’t stick on the road when the temperature fell below five degrees, as it did for several days during the past three weeks.

“We suspended work on December 14 because of the temperature. We hope to recommence the work on January 10 and it should take about two months to complete if temperatures don’t fall significantly again,” Mr O’Keeffe said.

He was responding to criticism from motorists who described driving conditions on the road as deplorable, especially along the eastbound section of the dual carriageway near Little Island.

The council scraped the original surface off the road, but adverse weather conditions resulted in some of the road’s subsurface also disintegrating.

Alice O’Connell, a school teacher from Cobh, said she was now using the old main road through Glounthaune as she didn’t want to damage her car on the N25.

“It’s too dangerous. I’ve seen cars swerving to avoid depressions in the road which are sometimes the length and width of a parking space,” she said.

She added that at night rain can fill some of these depressions making it even more dangerous for unsuspecting drivers.

Ms O’Connell said there was inadequate warning signs for motorists.

“If laying tarmac is weather-dependent then it seems a strange time of year to start such work,” she said.

Mr O’Keeffe said contractors were trying to fill in depressions along the road. He said other tarmacing projects on the N73 at Kildorrery and the N22 in Ballyvourney also had to be postponed due to the weather.