Kerry officials complain over lack of roadwork progress
Urgent calls have been made for improvements to famed routes such as the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula. However, the director of services at Kerry County Council, Charlie O’Sullivan, said some roads were likely to continue to deteriorate.
He said the number of potholes would increase in the coming years due to inadequate funding.
More than 80 motions and questions on roads were tabled for a meeting of the South and West Kerry Municipal Authority.
They related to potholes, surface quality, bend removal, drains, and safety, with frustrated councillors complaining about a lack of progress in recent years.
Mr O’Sullivan said that the council did not have the resources to provide the quality of road surfaces demanded.
Spending on roads had dropped and roads in Kerry would deteriorate rapidly, he said. “We simply don’t have the money to maintain roads to the standard that people deserve.”
Local authorities around the country received almost €300m for maintenance this year but Kerry received €2.7m. Mr O’Sullivan said twice that amount would be required.
Cllr Michael Cahill (Ind) said it was “appalling” the upgrading of a busy stretch of the Ring of Kerry would not be finished until after Puck Fair, in mid-August.
Work on the Iveragh Rd in Killorglin cannot be completed until a public consultation process is conducted.
The National Roads Authority allocated €450,000 for surfacing a road from Killorglin town centre towards Glenbeigh. The poor surface has been the subject of criticism for many years.
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