Vol. 434 No. 2
225 Mr. D. Ahern asked the Minister for the Environment if, in view of a recent horrific accident at Ballymacscanlon Bridge, Dundalk, County Louth, he will expedite the replacement thereof and the realignment of the road at this location as a matter of urgency; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
As the road in question does not form part of the network of national roads, responsibility for its improvement rests with Louth County Council and the cost of such works would normally fall to be financed from local resources, supplemented by the annual discretionary grants. However, my Department has requested the council to initiate the design of a replacement bridge and approach roads and has informed them that, when proposals for this project are submitted, they will be considered sympathetically in the context of the 1994 road grant allocations. The council have also been requested to undertake safety measures at this location, including the provision of a more elaborate advance warning system on the approaches to the bridge and the provision of high quality delineation. I understand that these works are in hand.
