Corcoran Kennedy concerned at regional road network in Offaly

The access road to Banagher from Lusmagh in west Offaly has been flooded since the beginning of December, Fine Gael Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy told the Dáil.

This inconvenience is bad enough for day to day travel, but recently she said she heard from a bed and breakfast owner who had to cancel her bookings over Christmas because nobody could access the property. “She is concerned, naturally, about loss of earnings,” she said. “She was not flooded but her home was inaccessible.”

Lack of access between Shannon Harbour and Banagher meant the local public house suffered a loss of income despite the fact the property was not flooded, she said. There was a lack of access to the village at a very busy time of the year, which was important for the business. These are local roads which will require considerable investment in future.

“The roads need to be improved to a level where people can actually access their own homes and businesses at times of flooding,” she said. “We must accept that flooding will occur on a regular basis and we must plan for that reality. Whether we like it or not, whether we are climate change deniers, sceptics or whatever, the fact is that our climate is changing and this type of torrential rain will be a feature of our lives into the future. We need to do the necessary planning to ensure people do not have their access to their properties cut off on a regular basis.”

Extra funding is required for the considerable investment that must be put into regional roads, she said. “Last week, I visited the flooded section of the N65, which is a national secondary route located between Borrisokane and Portumna. Lough Derg flooded at Ballyquirke Cross, cutting access for ordinary vehicles. Only those driving large jeeps or trucks could get from one area to another.”

In reply, Minister of State Jimmy Deenihan said regional and local roads are the statutory responsibility of each local authority, and the authorities in the affected areas have been working very closely with all the relevant State agencies, including An Garda Síochána, to manage the immediate impact of the storms and floods.

“The Minister for Transport has asked me to acknowledge the tremendous work done by all concerned to ensure warning signs were in place, diversion routes were organised and signposted, and information and advice were made available to the public via websites, social media and local radio. The Road Safety Authority has also played its role in supporting and disseminating safety messages for all road users.”