Nearly €100m needed to resurface national roads in Cork, transport chiefs told

Council’s director of roads and transportation says that it’s so bad it’s like driving 'on a lunar landscape'

Potholes on the approach to Killeagh on the road from Youghal in Cork. Picture: Larry Cummins

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) chiefs have been told Cork County Council urgently needs nearly €100m to resurface national secondary roads in its region, some of which are so pothole-ridden they’re like driving “on a lunar landscape”.

The need to progress new roads projects in the region was also outlined to senior TII officials by a high-powered council delegation led by its chief executive Moira Murrell and officials and councillors representing each of the local authority’s eight municipal districts.

They highlighted the poor state of several main roads in the county.

They told TII that 67km of national roads are in urgent need of resurfacing and some of their cores would also need to be replaced, as they were constructed more than 100 years ago “when donkey and carts were the mode of transport”.

The cores are crumbling and can’t take the weight of modern HGVs.

It is estimated it will cost around €1.4m to tackle each kilometre, meaning a total bill of €93.8m.

Among the worst roads are the N72 between Fermoy and the Waterford county bounds at Tallow.

The council’s director of roads and transportation Padraig Barrett said that it’s so bad it’s like driving “on a lunar landscape”.

The section of the main Cork to Mallow road (N20) is also pothole-ridden and has been the subject of numerous complaints from motorists and councillors alike for many months.

There are also parts of the N71 — the only main road in West Cork — which are in dire need of attention and sections of the N73 that runs through North Cork into Kerry.

'Not fit for purpose'

Bantry-based Independent Ireland councillor Danny Collins said parts of the N71 are “not fit for purpose” at Owenahincha, Aughadown, Church Cross, Sparagradda, and Letterlickey.

He called for more passing bays to be developed to help car owners safely overtake tractors and HGVs. 

Mr Collins said plans for a Bantry bypass have been on the agenda for 40 years and it’s time TII provided funding.

The council delegation also stressed the vital need to progress new road projects and for TII to continually fund them in order to bring them to fruition.

These include the upgrading of the route between Carrigtwohill and Midleton, which is already at traffic capacity and will have to cope with the extra volumes generated by the two towns which have been earmarked for the biggest housing developments in the county.

Council officials have acknowledged that “in a best-case scenario” with adequate funding and planning permission it could take 10 years to complete that project.

The need to upgrade the road from Midleton to Youghal, which is often gridlocked in the villages of Castlemartyr and Killeagh, was also highlighted.

The delegation also pressed for adequate funding to complete proper bypasses in Bandon, Clonakilty, and the northern relief road in Mallow.

Mayor of County Cork Fianna Fáil councillor Bernard Moynihan said as TII is preparing its budgets for next year, it was important for the local authority to get its voice heard now.

“The case for continued investment in our transport network and strategic infrastructure was clearly made.

"We look forward to continuing our constructive engagement with TII in support of the safe, sustainable and economic development of the region,” Mr Moynihan said.