Cork road melted amid soaring temperatures

Council workers spread grit and sand on the affected road but one local man still urged motorists to avoid the road

Footprints and tyre marks are visible in the melted tar surface on the road between Ballinhassig and Crossbarry in Cork.

A road in Cork melted on Thursday prompting a road safety warning as Ireland basked in soaring temperatures.

Despite council workers spreading grit on the slippery surface, motorists were urged to avoid the local road at Lower Goggins Hill, between Ballinhassig and Crossbarry, in an area known locally as ‘the mountain’, until after the weather cools.

But with forecasters predicting even hotter days ahead, people were angry that a key artery used by hundreds of motorists daily travelling from the west of the city to Crossbarry and Halfway, could be out of action for several days.

Chair of the Carrigaline Municipal District, Cllr Ben Dalton O’Sullivan, said he received almost a dozen complaints from motorists on Thursday whose tyres and body work were destroyed after they drove through about 500 yards of melting tar along 'the mountain'. He said: 

One person described the surface as being as slippery as water. It was in quite a bad way. 

“I contacted the council and in fairness, they responded immediately by spreading grit and sand on it but my advice is for people to avoid the area really until the weather cools.” 

 The road was treated with a spray of chip and tar mix about 18-months ago as part of a minor road maintenance project but Mr O’Sullivan said that obviously wasn’t enough to protect the soft surface beneath.

And he said in the context of climate change, local authorities here will have to examine and consider adjusting the mix or type of tarmac they use for road maintenance projects to ensure they can withstand days of sustained heat.

Motorways and strategic roads are built with modified asphalt surfaces that should be able to withstand temperatures of up to 60C.

Basic asphalt materials used on local roads can start to soften at temperatures of 50C and roads can start to warp or become sticky during heatwaves over 40C.

Tarmac and asphalt are cheaper and less abrasive to tyres than some materials but because they are black they tend to heat more quickly in baking sun.

Temperatures in Ireland are forecast to hit 28C over the weekend.